Suddenly
by chaansan
Summary: The two were so painfully different that nothing could ever happen between them. After all, both he and his brother were renowned pranksters, and she nothing more than a timid "Slyther-puff" who was deemed crazy by all of Hogwarts because of her psychotic outburst in her second year. This wasn't some Muggle fairy tale, in which everyone would live happily ever after… right? GW/OC
1. Beginning

**The Worst Intro Ever/Author's note**

**So basically this was gonna stay hidden in the dark depths of my laptop forever but then I'm like LOL #YOLO BABY and here we are.**

**WELL it's about damn time I got around to writing this story. I'll admit that I've been a little ashamed to be writing a story using someone else's characters, and I pray that I won't completely disgrace them and all they stand for.**

**The canon characters I mainly use in this story are pretty minor in the actual HP series, and I've decided to add my own twists to their personalities. And ya'll better believe I've worked my ass on my OCs so they don't end up as Sues. Business gets kinda gritty later on, so brace yourself if you don't like blood and swearing and dark themes.**

**Okay, so without further ado we're gonna start up this engine and get revving. ENJOY AND THANKS FOR READING, LOVES.**

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_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_1993_

"Is that her over there? Nina Brimstone?"

"Shut up, will you? She'll hear you if you don't quiet down."

"Did ya hear about what happened last year? Stole an axe from the kitchens and went all batshit in the Dark Forest, she did."

"_Of course_ I heard about it, dummy. _Everyone_ did. And there aren't any axes in the kitchens!"

"No, no! It was an axe, I heard about it from Connor Fletcher!"

"_Connor?! _You're actually trusting the kid who spends all day picking the dirt out from under his nails with his quill?"

Beatrice pursed her lips as a blush ran across her cheeks. "As a matter of fact, I _do_ trust him, Cecilia."

Cecilia rolled her eyes as she slammed her copy of _History of Magic, level four_ shut. "Never mind all of that." she murmured. "That girl over there's not someone you can, y'know, _trust_. She'll split your skull in two if she gets the chance; wring your neck in your sleep, she will."

Beatrice's eyes filled with fear as she laid a protective hand over her own neck, nervously glancing backward to where Brimstone was sitting, alone, her nose buried in a book. She was a very small girl, though perhaps that was understandable since she was only in her second year. A long curtain of smooth black hair shielded her small face from any who tried to get a good look at her, though these days the students and even faculty made it their jobs to avoid her as much as possible.

"Y'know, even her fellow Slytherins don't want anything to do with her." Cecilia whispered.

Beatrice gulped. "H-honestly, why didn't Dumbledore just expel her? She's nothing but trouble, in my opinion."

Just then, a loud _pop_ emitted through the courtyard, followed by a very girlish scream. Seconds later, a Ravenclaw prefect came bounding out of the castle, his hands clutching his smoking buttocks rather tightly. A dozen or so students followed closely behind him, laughing and cheering as the prefect desperately tried to extinguish the source of the smoke.

"FIFTEEN POINTS!" he squealed, still trying to pat out the non-existent flames. "FIFTEEN POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR! Oh, honestly! I ought to give you two detentions for a month!"

Fred and George emerged from the crowd, their grins identically and equally mischievous.

"We'd like to thank this dear old lad for being the very first test subject for one of our newer inventions, the Peace Disturber," said one twin.

"Part of our new Rocket Box, soon to be completed, _and_ for sale in the coming months," finished his brother.

"But we don't like to disappoint, we've got an irresistible offer for any buyers, right here, right now."

"C'mon, I want to see!" Cecilia said, taking her friend by the arm and making her way to the crowd. "Those two have always got something worth seeing up their sleeve."

"Well, I suppose that's true… then again," Beatrice smirked, pushing the now-furious prefect out of her way. "You've fancied George since first year, now haven't you?"

Cecilia's cheeks were glowing scarlet in a matter of seconds, though she didn't deny what practically all of Hufflepuff house knew to be true. Cecilia had befriended the twins on the Hogwarts Express in their very first year, and bonded over their interests in Quidditch and love of all things even remotely humorous. When the three were separated by the sorting hat, however, they were distanced considerably. Even so, Cecilia and George had partnered up a few times in Herbology and worked on assignments together in History of Magic, which inevitably brought them closer as friends. But by this point in time, it was evident that George was either much too involved with his shenanigans to notice Cecilia coming onto him or was too thick.

"Rest assured that we've already tested and tweaked these candies for your pleasure."

"Don't want students by the dozens wandering into Madam Pomfrey's office all day, do we George?"

"Right you are, Fred. C'mon, gather 'round, don't be shy! We've got a real treat for you all if you'd just…" George trailed off as a sudden wave of murmurs passed through the crowd. Students nervously shuffled away from the black haired Slytherin second year as she entered the crowd, obviously wanting to see what the commotion was.

"It's that girl… the one that killed a unicorn." one student whispered.

"I heard she ate it, too." another replied.

"And nearly hacked off that Gryffindor Prefect's arm, my friend saw the scar!"

"Don't go near her, she's got to go to these counselling sessions. She's all… you know, _sick in the head._"

"She'll curse you if you look her in the eye…"

"Slit your throat in your sleep…"

Fred and George had gone silent, too. Nina Brimstone's eyes dropped to the ground as her face visibly burned in shame. A very tall, Indian Slytherin girl emerged from the crowd just then and attempted to comfort Nina.

"Hey…" she murmured in Nina's ear as she placed her hands on her shoulders. "We'll leave now. Don't worry, okay? Come eat lunch with us, yeah?"

"And that older girl… Nora Boone… she's like her slave. She was bewitched." Beatrice whispered into Cecilia's ear.

But Nina remained stationary, her head bowed in humiliation and her shoulders visibly shaking. Students moved away from the duo as Nina's hands clenched into white, rage-stricken fists. Cecilia glared at Nina as she felt her jaw clench.

"Look at this freak, ruining their business like this." she hissed into the air, making it just loud enough so that everyone could hear her. "They should have expelled her, she's nothing but a disease."

Someone placed a hand on Cecilia's shoulder just then, and she turned to find one of the twins—she'd be darned if she could tell who it was—who was looking at her rather darkly.

"You've said enough, thanks," he told her, and she recognized him as George.

"Don't tell me you're really defending her," Cecilia whispered, her blue eyes widening in surprise. "And a Slytherin, nonetheless,"

Without so much as another word to her, George brushed past her and made his way to Nina.

"Hey," he told her.

Oh-so gently, George took hold of her wrist and uncurled her small fingers. Nina watched, stunned, as his freckled fingers placed a small red candy in her palm.

"Combusting Confectionaries; it's on the house."

Nina found that she wasn't the only one who was utterly speechless. A dozen or so dumbfounded faces watched as George made his way back to his brother, who greeted his counterpart with a knowing grin.

"Yes, we'd like to thank this young lady for so bravely volunteering to try our newest concoction, Combusting Confectionaries!"

"Though we'd tread carefully if we were you; never quite know what they'll bring to the table, right Freddie?"

"Right you are, George, though we _do_ guarantee that you'll spend at least fifteen seconds as a genuine fire breather."

"Fifteen seconds sounds about right."

"Or thirty,"

"Or an hour,"

"Or three!"

"Only a sickle a piece, but don't expect this offer to last!"

As the audience began to boom with buyers waving their fists full of money, Beatrice pulled Cecilia off to the side.

"Lia? Lia are you okay?" she murmured, worry lining her face.

Cecilia blinked away her tears as she watched Fred and George collect their pay and hand out large amounts of their candies. George refused to look at her.

"Let's get out of here… okay? Come on, then…"

As Beatrice led Cecilia away from the crowd, on the other side of the courtyard Nora Boone was excitedly grasping Nina Brimstone's shoulders.

"Are you all right there, love?"

"He… gave this to me?"

Nora nodded. "Dunno which one it was though. Still, I wouldn't trust anything those two give you; especially when it comes to food. Wouldn't surprise me if _you_ were meant to be the test subject,"

Nina stared, dazed, into her palm. He, whoever he was, was the first to understand her suffering since coming across Nora… the first to show her any sort of kindness since the incident that occurred before Christmas vacation. It felt like a dream; or perhaps more like the end of a nightmare that lasted an eternity.

Nina pocketed the candy and gazed up into her friend's large green eyes, and smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"I'm hungry."

Nora grinned. "Yeah, me too. I wonder if they have curry."

And they set off into the Great Hall, Nora rambling on about some great prank the twins had pulled the year previous. She didn't catch Nina glancing backward at the twins and grinning like a fool.


	2. The Billywig Bounce

**AMSLMDFS;C'SASDFS,; 4 REVIEWS IN ONE GO? Thank you so much everyone :'D**

**I'm basically establishing a back story, but I'll try to make it as interesting as I can. Don't expect any lovey-dovey stuff just yet. It'll come soon enough, though :)**

**Thanks for following my work, everyone! **

**Anyway, can someone please tell me why is it every time I try to write a fanfiction my laptop breaks? *sigh* Well, at least this story was saved. It's on my USB now, so I'll try to work on it more often. I've been really working at the plot this week, so please don't be too mad about me not updating as soon as I said I would. I did write up a chapter, but I wasn't very happy with it, so I had to work on this one instead. I've also been planning out the plot more thoroughly, so there won't be many mess ups in the future... maybe XD**

**Without any more blabbing from me, enjoy!**

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Ottery St. Catchpole, England, 1991

July

It was one of those summer afternoons which would be better fit for autumn, or even winter. The usually radiant sun was masked by thick cloud cover that didn't end for miles. The air was chilly, and sparked with electricity as though a storm was on its way into the countryside. At the very edge of a hillside village sat an aged two-bedroom cottage. Flowers of all shapes, sizes and colours were spread out along the property, whether they be in hanging baskets, pots both large and small, or even curling out from underneath the house. Within the humble abode lived two witches, though the rest of the neighbourhood, all of the muggle population, were oblivious to this. One, a woman of about fifty, with long, scraggly brown hair and a very fatigue-lined face, was busying herself in her bedroom, packing her small, bottomless black bag with dozens of clothing items, concoctions and even some of her favourite miscellaneous décor. The woman, Arietta Brimstone, was rambling on to her young daughter, who was curled up on a living chair on the other side of the room.

"You understand, of course, why mummy's going away, Nina?"

"Yes, mum." her daughter replied quietly.

"Very important business in New York I've got to attend to, and I don't need to be hearing about some nonsense about the house burning down when I come back next summer. Of course, I'll only be able to return for a few weeks then. Now, I've made all the legal arrangements, so there shouldn't be any problems there. You'll be fine though, won't you, girl? You've always liked being on your own, yes?"

"Yes, mum."

"And I expect you'll be all right going to Diagon Alley by yourself, yes? I know you're quite good with the Floo Powder, but keep in mind that there's only enough in the pot to last you a few trips; you'll have to pick up some more when you go to get your new books later; your wand, too. I'll be sending enough money to last you each month, and I _don't_ want you splurging it on any nonsense, understand?"

"Yes, mum."

"And you like to cook, yes? Yes, I'm sure you'll be fine in that sect."

"Why do you have to go away, mum?" Nina whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Come on now, girl, you know I don't like it when you mumble like that. And I've told you, it's a once in a lifetime job offer I can't refuse."

"Mum…" Nina mumbled, feeling her voice tremble. "Please don't leave."

Arietta closed up her bag as she finished packing and gazed across the room sympathetically. "You know I have to."

Silence swept over them as they looked into each other's faces. With a heaving sigh, Arietta slung her bag over her shoulder and left the room, Nina following soon after. As her mother stepped out onto the small porch, Nina came bounding after her. She grabbed a fold of Arietta's jacket and tugged.

"Honestly, Nina, you're not a little kid anymore. Let go now, mummy has go leave."

"Mum," Nina hiccupped, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. "M-mum,"

The pitter-patter of her tears thumping against the wooden porch was soon accompanied by the first sprinkles of a heavy summer rain. Arietta kneeled down to Nina's level and placed a hand on her shoulder, flashing a weak and tired smile. "Mum will be back soon, Nina. Come on now, you're a big girl, aren't you?"

Nina's grip on her mother's cloak loosened and her hand dropped to her side as she nodded feverishly. "I'm a big girl."

"There we go." her mother said, patting her back gently and rising to her full stance once again.

"Mum,"

"Yes?"

"I love you, mum."

Nina watched as her mother's jaw tensed slightly, and her eyes flickered to the ground. With one last cool smile, she replied, "Goodbye, Nina."

She felt as her mother's gentle hand left her shoulder, and watched as she disappeared into thin air. Where exactly she had gone, she had no idea. It was ambiguous whether she would even return or not.

_No,_ Nina thought, squeezing her eyes shut. _Mum will come back very soon. She'll come back and hold me very, very tightly. But if I cry, she'll be very disappointed in me. So don't cry, Nina, don't you dare cry…_

The rain thickened and now pounded against the earth. She collapsed backward against the doorframe and slid down to the floor, her jaw and eyes still firmly clamped shut.

_Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't you dare cry…_

The skies boomed with distant thunder, masking any sort of sharp gasps for breath she made. Nobody saw nor cared as she curled up on the porch and began to weep into her knees. Hours passed as she sobbed to her heart's content and became numb with cold. Pins and needles in her bum and feet had long since passed as the day waned into the night, and she continued to watch the rain pour through her bleary and tired eyes. She recalled her childhood as she sat there, and remembered a time when her mother would enchant their snow angels to dance along the ground and teach the flowers how to sing.

_"Mum, mum! I taught this one the Billywig Bounce!" Nina had exclaimed, years previous, as a pink lady began spouting a catchy tune._

_"You like that song, don't you sweetheart?" her mother replied with a kindly smile. "Can you sing it?"_

_Nina nodded enthusiastically, and chimed in with the flower._

_"Billywig, billywig, can you bounce?_

_Can you bounce, deary,_

_boing, boing, boing._

_Easy as swish-swish,_

_Easy as flick,_

_Can you bounce higher_

_Than a broomstick?"_

Mother, daughter and the entire garden were all singing by the middle of the song, and continued on for the minutes to come. Nina smiled bitterly as she reminisced. That was ages ago… yet it could have been just yesterday, the memory was so fresh. Where could have those times have gone? Why did they disappear so quickly?

_"Honestly, you're just like your father was," mother spat as she slammed dishes into their cupboards with her wand and smashed the doors shut after them. "I ask _one_ thing of you and you fail to comply completely."_

_Nina's eyes met the ground as her mother lectured her, though she wasn't keen on giving up so easily. "But they don't bite, mummy, really! Please, please, PLEASE let me keep him!"_

_Arietta scowled at the mess the wriggling flobberworm was making all over her kitchen floor. "Take it outside, Nina! Out, OUT! It's going to get dirt and mucus everywhere!"_

_"But he can't help it, mum! Please just—"_

_"THAT THAT DISGUSTING CREATURE OUTSIDE, NOW!" she bellowed, slashing her wand through the air. It was as though an invisible whip had been cracked in the kitchen and had struck Nina across the face. With a yelp, she fell backwards, dropping the large worm in the process. Stunned, she placed one of her muddy, mucus-covered hands over her cheek and withdrew it to find blood leaking from a large cut on her cheek. Her eyes welled up with tears as she stared at her scarlet palm. Her mother had snatched a flask of firewhiskey from the cupboard and fled to the porch._

The scar on Nina's cheek had long since faded away, though, and that seemed like a completely different time. Even then, Arietta would acknowledge her daughter's existence. It was when Nina turned eight that things started to become strange. Mother wouldn't talk to her as much anymore, and was often too tired from her work to play or discuss even the most mundane of topics. Arietta would often become angered easily if she was bothered after a long day, and was grumpy to an extreme when she would come home with an empty stomach. It was around this time that Nina would often visit the Muggle library down the road and begin borrowing cook books and recipes. Even so, a nine-year-old was hardly more coordinated than a hastily enchanted stump, and meals would tend to end up less than satisfactory or, on one particular occasion, splattered onto the ceiling. Mother wouldn't hesitate to punish in these times; and of course, Nina deserved it. She had been a very, very bad child.

Nina rested her head against the doorframe and sighed heavily. Where did it all go? She summoned up every ounce of strength in her numb, weak legs and shakily stood. Before heading inside, she glanced backward and noted that the rain was leavening up. She smiled weakly. _That's right,_ she thought. _Rain doesn't last forever._

* * *

It was difficult to recall a time that was more lonely and desolate than that very summer. It was compulsive cleaning, excessive cooking and countless long walks through town that kept Nina sane. Despite her having promised to write first, Nina didn't receive a single owl all summer. By the time mid-August rolled around, she was getting very impatient, and felt more desolate than ever.

_Maybe it wouldn't hurt to pick up my school things a little early? _She thought nervously. No, she couldn't. Mother had given her a specific date to go shopping in Diagon Alley. It wasn't an odd occurrence to compulsively check the calendar up to a dozen times a day. The shopping date, August 28th, inched closer.

It was evident that autumn was on its way. Summer's warm embrace was gradually fading as the English countryside was greeted by grey skies and thick sheets of rain. Trees sporting leaves of yellow and red lined the streets and everyone seemed to have moved inside. August 28th arrived at a snail's pace, and Nina was more than delighted to spend every knut her mother had given her for shopping. Perhaps she would be scolded for squandering all the money, but Diagon Alley excited her more than she'd like to admit. Ollivander's dark eyes twinkled as the wand he had handed her crackled jubilantly.

"Aspen with unicorn core, ten inches," he said, almost inaudibly. "Unbending,"

"Sir? I mean… If I may ask, what is this wand's significance?"

Ollivander's wild brows rose on his forehead. "Significance, dear?"

"Yes," she replied, now running her fingertips along the smooth, white surface of her wand. "I've been told that wands made from redwood bring good fortune to their owner, and yew wands are only for the most powerful. I'm curious, what is the significance of aspen?"

The corner's of Ollivander's lips tugged upwards slightly. "You're knowledgeable about wands, my dear."

"Oh, yes." she nodded enthusiastically. "They're fascinating, aren't they? It's almost like… well, it might sound silly, but I like to imagine them as though they have thoughts and feelings, much like us."

Ollivander wasted no time in dashing next to Nina. With surprising smoothness, he leapt over the counter and rushed next to her, grinning. "You'd be right, Miss Brimstone."

Nina's dark eyes blinked in surprise. "S-sir?"

Ollivander grinned and began to jig on the spot, humming some sort of incomprehensible tune as he hopped about the store. He danced to the bookshelf on the opposite end of the store and began to browse, humming still. Nina, bewildered as ever, watched as he tugged out various wand boxes and papers and cast them to the ground. He snatched an exceptionally thick book from the shelf and lugged it over to a nearby stool. He waved Nina over as he began flipping through the pages.

"I am _so_ glad you asked me, Miss Brimstone." he told her, grinning still and examining the tiny print on each page. "Haven't gotten a question like that in years, I'll tell you that much. It's a simple one, too. I find that people just up and leave once they receive what they came for. But _you—_"his eyes twinkled as he momentarily looked up from the page and into her face. "You _asked_."

Nina, still gaping in astonishment, nodded unsurely. "I did." she said simply.

"And _that's_ what differs you from the rest. Unafraid of learning more about what makes you tick. My father wrote this book, and I've added a fair few notes to it. Now," Ollivander planted a wrinkled finger under the bolded word _Aspen_. "_Wand-quality aspen wood is white and fine-grained, and highly prized by all wand-makers for its stylish resemblance to ivory and its usually outstanding charmwork. The proper owner of the aspen wand is often an accomplished duellist, or destined to be so, for the aspen wand is one of those particularly suited to martial magic. An infamous and secretive eighteenth-century duelling club, which called itself The Silver Spears, was reputed to admit only those who owned aspen wands. In my experience, aspen wand owners are generally strong-minded and determined, more likely than most to be attracted by quests and new orders; this is a wand for revolutionaries._"

"Revolutionaries? Sir, that can't be correct." Nina felt herself melting under the glare Ollivander suddenly shot at her. "I mean, I don't mean to be _rude_, sir."

"You are only being rude to yourself, and the wand that chose you, Miss Brimstone." he said coolly. "And might I add that wands of aspen and unicorn hair are exceptionally rare. You'll find more than enough aspen with dragon heartstring cores in wizard's pockets, but unicorn hair…"

"But… Mister Ollivander?"

"Yes?"

"What does it _mean_?"

As their eyes met again, Ollivander's lips tugged upwards once more. "It means, Nina Brimstone, that this wand shares your hopes and dreams, and anticipates your destiny. It means that, shall your heart ever stop beating, this wand will also die with you."

The stood in silence for a while as Nina twirled the wand in her fingers, gazing in amazement.

"Now," Ollivander shut the dusty book and shoved it under his arm. "That'll be seven galleons."

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**Don't be afraid to leave a review, and thanks so much for reading! ^_^**


	3. The Lone Girl

**I've been working all evening on this, I hope it's up to par! Nina's first year at Hogwarts, the next few chapters will be about her second and meeting Fred and George. Thanks so much for all the great reviews I've been getting! ^_^**

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"It's not really the ceiling, it's just bewitched to look like the night sky." a girl with bushy brown hair near the front of the line said. "It read about it in _Hogwarts: A History._"

True, the sky that night beautiful beyond anyone's expectations. Every star was a diamond embedded into the dark blanket that stretched to the horizon, and there wasn't a single cloud to speak of. Nina found herself mystified by its beauty, and was completely distracted from the Sorting ceremony. Everything around her seemed far away and meaningless as she gazed into the ceilings transcending depths, lost in her own thoughts. Surely mother would be pleasantly surprised if she were sorted into Ravenclaw, as she was many years previous? Surely the Sorting Hat itself would place her among the wisest of students, as it did her mother? She heard a voice calling her name, though it was seemed to be very distant.

_"Nina Brimstone!"_

Everything came rushing back all at once. Nina squeaked slightly as McGonagall's glare burned into her. She rushed from the crowd of first years and, as she was ascending the stone steps that led to the stool in which the Sorting Hat sat, tripped slightly. A wave of giggles echoed through the Great Hall as she scrambled to her feet and onto the stool. Now trembling quite excessively, she placed the oversized hat onto her head. The room disappeared in one swift movement as the hat fell over her eyes and began to mumble into her head.

"_Ahh, a Brimstone? Not a very prolonged family name, but I remember your mother quite well. Very loyal to her books, she was; a born Ravenclaw. But you… I see a different path for you."_

Nina gulped. _So, not Ravenclaw, then?_ she thought nervously.

"_It's not that you don't have the brains, Nina Brimstone. No, on the contrary, I see quite the mind here. Vast potential and a love for learning… however,"_ he pondered, examining her mind further. "_I sense there's something else here: determination. Very much a Slytherin trait. Then again, I don't see much desire for power here. But I see a kindness, as well as a love for justice and other creatures. Perhaps you'd be more suited to Hufflepuff, then."_

Nina awaited the Hat's call, though it remained silent still. Nina became very anxious as it remained silent atop her head, and murmurs began to spurt from the students. For a moment, Nina wondered if the Hat might have broken, and considered notifying a professor, when it spoke again.

"_No, not Hufflepuff, definitely not... I see something else here. Something powerful."_

_ Powerful? Me? _Nina countered.

"_I can see that you've been getting the short end of the stick your entire life… there was a fire that burned in you once, Nina Brimstone. Even now, it still simmers in your heart. I fear that, in Hufflepuff house, it would only become completely diminished. I see greatness in you, and I know just the house that will bring that greatness out in you."_

"SLYTHERIN!"

It had happened before she could let out any kind of protest. The table on the far right side of the room erupted into cheers and applause as she stepped off of the stool, her knees still wobbling uncontrollably. She set the Sorting Hat back onto its stool and rushed over to the Slytherins, most of whom greeted her warmly.

"Hey, nice fall." an older student with tousled chestnut hair snickered as Nina took a seat at the end of the table.

"Shut your gob, will you, Pucey? Merlin, it is comments like that that give us such a bad reputation." countered a well-endowed girl around his age with cropped blonde hair. "Anyway, congrats on becoming a snake. The name's Who."

"Who?" Nina questioned.

"Yes, that's right. Ginger Who." she said with a grin. "Muggleborn."

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat cried again, and a rather round boy with a pumpkin-shaped head waddled over and took a seat across from Nina.

"Crabbe, I take it?" Pucey said pompously. "A pure-blood, right? My name's Adrian Pucey. I believe my father knows your fa—"

"Bleeding Aunt Bethany, shut it, will you? You and all your pure-blood mania's gonna influence this lot." Ginger hissed, pinching Pucey's arm sharply.

"Ouch! Watch what you touch with your filthy little Mudblood hands, Who!" Pucey sneered, rubbing his forearm. "I'll have you kicked off the team if you keep this _abuse_ up."

Ginger rolled her eyes and slouched back in her seat. "I've had to deal with this idiot since first year. Can't keep his bloody mouth shut; don't ask me why I love him. If things were to go my way I'd have his head served on a platter."

"Potter, Harry!"

Every head in the Great Hall swivelled around to the front at that point, their eyes on a scrawny boy with jet-black hair and rounded glasses.

"Did she say Harry Potter?" Ginger asked.

Pucey nodded and leaned forward, trying to get a better look at him. "This ought to be interesting."

Harry seemed to be as nervous as any of the first-years as he sat gingerly on the stool and placed the hat over his head. He sat there for a good minute and a half before the hat bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Every Slytherin groaned as the Gryffindor table erupted into applause and began to pump their fists into the air furiously. Across the hall, two Gryffindor students could be heard chanting, "We got Potter! We got Potter! We got Potter!"

"Those two won't let us forget this one," Pucey muttered.

"Who?" Nina questioned

"Yeah?" Ginger answered.

"No, idiot," Pucey said. "She means _who_ won't let us forget this one."

"Oh," Ginger laughed. "He meant the Weasley twins. They're Beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

"There's Quidditch here?"

Pucey nearly choked on his pumpkin juice as he stared, wide-eyed, at Nina. "_Don't_ tell me you didn't know!" he said breathlessly.

"_Of course_ there's Quidditch here." said a sly voice from behind them. They turned to find a pale blonde boy with a pointed face and mischievous grin. "The name's Malfoy… but I take it you already know this."

While Adrian Pucey nodded enthusiastically, Nina and Ginger stared blankly at him. Malfoy looked from one girl to the other, his brows furrowed. "What, are the two of you Mudbloods or something?"

"Just me," Ginger said proudly, waving a hand in the air.

Malfoy snorted. "Father did say there might be a fair few." He turned to Nina, his grey eyes calculating. "And what about you, then?"

"Ah, well," she stuttered, suddenly finding her empty dinner plate very interesting. "Well… my mum's a witch." she muttered.

"So a half-blood?"

Nina fumbled with her napkin nervously. "I… don't know."

She watched as Malfoy raised his brows. "You _don't know_? Who's your father?"

Nina couldn't bring herself to look at any of them. "I don't know."

The three of them suddenly became very quiet, not sure what to say. Nina felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she shrunk down in her seat, suddenly wishing that she hadn't been placed in the house in which family name and bloodline meant everything. She felt grateful when the Sorting ceremony ended and Albus Dumbledore stepped up to the podium, beaming, and began to speak.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!"

The plates before them filled up with enormous helpings of savoury foods and the Great Hall buzzed with conversation, and before anyone anticipated it, the night had become late. Classes began early the next day. The first few days passed in a haze of nervousness and confusion for Nina. Two weeks into the school year she was paired up with Seamus Finnigan with the task of creating a Bloodroot Potion in Snape's Potions class. She smiled weakly at him, only for him to return a rather cold glare. According to Ginger, Gryffindors didn't like cozying up with Slytherins, and vice versa.

"We're not perfect, sure, but neither are they." she had told her one night in the common room. "But Gryffindors can't help but label us as the bad guys all the time, that's why this rivalry continues. I wouldn't have minded befriending them, but," she shrugged. "They're a stubborn bunch. Don't want anything to do with us since they think we're all a bunch of Death Eaters."

"They don't realize our potential at all," Adrian Pucey jumped in then, a copy of _Quidditch: Through the Ages_ in hand. "Dumbledore's said that we could be a great team, you know. But it's as Ginger said; they don't want anything to do with us. Afraid we'll convert them to the 'dark side' or whatever."

"But You-Know-Who is gone, so why're they still scared?" Nina asked.

Adrian's face darkened. "He's not gone, Brimstone. He'll be back soon enough. Potter never killed him, just stopped him for a while."

September passed everyone by in a blink of an eye, bringing harsher October rains and darker, cloudier skies. School had held little excitement since everyone arrived that year. Nina bitterly sat in Charms class, cursing her wand each time it failed to perform the levitation charm they had just learned.

_Prized for its outstanding charmwork my hind foot,_ Nina thought to herself as she watched Hermione Granger's feather float high up into the air.

"Miss Granger's done it, everyone!" Professor Flitwick squeaked joyfully. "Well done, well done! 10 points to Gryffindor!"

Beside her, Pansy Parkinson snorted. "I wonder if there's a charm for frizzy hair." she muttered, just loud enough for Hermione to hear. "I know someone who desperately needs it."

"Lay off, Parkinson." Harry Potter hissed under his breath, continuing to attempt the charm.

"Or _what?_" she muttered back. "Is ickle Potty going to tell on me? Oh, we're so scared, aren't we Nina?"

Nina bit her cheek, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, Pansy didn't look to her for compliance. Rather, she continued the feud with the Gryffindors spitefully.

"Not that I'm concerned about you gaining any points or anything. Weasley's infamous screw-ups will evidently cause enough loss of points to shame Gryffindor house for the next century."

Ron Weasley's ears turned bright pink as he wilted in his chair, though Hermione straightened out completely.

"You're one to talk of shame." she said pompously. "I can practically smell the envy coming off of you."

Pansy shrieked with laughter. "Envy?!" she giggled. "Sure, I'm envious of being a buck-toothed, frizzy-haired little tart like you. Keep dreaming, Granger."

Hermione's hands clenched as her eyes welled up with tears. She blinked them away quickly enough, though she had already given Pansy the satisfaction.

"Enjoy those points while you can, Granger. I'll put in a good word to the Slytherin Prefects."

"You can't do that." Hermione said shakily, her jaw clenched. "That's unfair play."

Pansy laughed cruelly again. "I'm sorry, I mustn't have heard you correctly. _Unfair play_?" Pansy turned to Nina, a grin stretched across her pug-like face. "You hear this, Brimstone? She acts like we give a donkey's rear end about _fair play_."

When Nina didn't respond, Pansy's smug grin weakened. "S'matter with you?"

Nina twirled her wand nervously in her hands, biting her cheek. "That's enough, Pansy." she said quietly, returning to her feather.

There was a moments silence among the five, and then Pansy spoke again.

"Don't tell me you're fraternizing with the enemy." she muttered.

Nina snorted at this. "_Enemy?_ Listen, they're our classmates, they're not—"

"No, _you_ listen, Brimstone." Pansy hissed. "We don't cozy up with Gryffindors; quite the opposite, in fact. I'm willing to forget you ever said that if you choose right here. Whose side are you on? Theirs or mine?"

Nina's eyes fell to her Charms homework. "It's not right, Pansy." she said simply.

Another silence passed over them, and Nina could feel Pansy's dark eyes burning into the side of her skull. With a final dignified _humph_, Pansy turned away from her and began to work with Millicent Bulstrode. Looking across from her, Nina found that neither Ron nor Harry could bring themselves to look her in the eye. Hermione gave her an unsure, sympathetic look before returning to her Charms work. It was the first of many classes spent alone that year.

Christmas, which Nina spent alone in the common room, came and went, and brought forth January. Mid-way through, she realized that her birthday had passed: there were no gifts at the end of her bed to remind her of such an event.

There was some business of trolls and Harry Potter that could be heard briefly in the halls, like the rustling of leaves in the wind, but she found she didn't care. Part of her couldn't stand all the self pity she wallowed in throughout the rest of the year. She could somewhat recall other students trying to spark a conversation with her, but she couldn't bring herself to respond as heartily as she would have liked to. It wasn't uncommon for people to label her as 'stuck-up' and never speak to her again.

She was in a castle full of hundreds of entities, yet she couldn't bring herself to talk to more than a few. Most of her free time was spent in empty parts of the dungeons, conversing with various ghosts.

"The Sorting Hat thought I ought to be in Hufflepuff house, you know." she told the Bloody Baron one late spring evening, wiping away the tears she had gained from a recent confrontation with Pansy Parkinson. Year-end exams were on their way, and she was stressed beyond her control. "But it said there was something _great_ about me, tsh," she breathed deeply, trying to regain control of her trembling voice. "They call me a _Slyther-puff_, you know. It's just… I don't know if I can do this anymore."

The Bloody Baron hummed sympathetically, fumbling with his chains. "You know what they say, m'dear." he told her. "Salazar Slytherin only accepted those meant to achieve—"

"Yeah, yeah, _greatness_, I know." she muttered. "But sir, what if I don't _want_ to be great? What's the whole point of it?"

"You understand, of course, that when I say _greatness_ I am not referring to power?"

"Sir?"

"They are very much two different things, Nina Brimstone." he told her, somewhat annoyed. "While you may be shy, you are certainly not _meek_. That is why you were not placed into Hufflepuff house. It is the spirit of us Slytherins that make us great. It is our loyalty to each other and our capabilities that make us who we are. Those who think of us as a house of hate mongrels and bigots are simple minded and destined a simple life. But Miss Brimstone, we were born to make our mark on this earth," he glided next to her and stared her directly in the face. "Sometimes that mark isn't good, no. But great nonetheless."

She slept surprisingly well that night.

* * *

**The end of another chapter! I've been pretty good lately, yeah? Anyway, leave a review if you can, it means the world! One or two more boring chapters, then we get to Fred and George and adventures. I did my best to breeze through Nina's first year. And, in case you didn't get it the first time around, Pucey and Who are indeed dating. A quirky couple we won't see much more of, unfortunately, as they'll be graduating soon.**


	4. Goodnight, Worthless Child

**So here we meet some new characters. A shorter chapter, sorry! I'll try to make them longer in the future. I tried to make it all sentimental and stuff, but I'm not sure how well that went, to be honest. Anyway, here's chapter five!**

* * *

Ottery St. Catchpole, England, 1992

August

"Go on, then, Harry."

"Don't be afraid to give it a good swing. It doesn't hurt them, really. Their heads are as hard as rocks, it'll take more than a short fall to kill them."

"_A short fall?_" Harry countered, a wriggling garden gnome clutched in his hand. "You threw one a good fifty feet, George!"

George shrugged as he placed his hands on his neck, wiping away the sweat that had beaded up in the summer's heat. Part of him scolded himself for not foreseeing mum's finding out that the younger Weasley boys had snuck out late the previous night to retrieve Harry in the flying Ford Angila. It had, evidently, put them into the midst of the late August heat to de-gnome the garden (a rather useless chore, in his opinion, as half the gnomes in the garden have evaded capture by the Weasley's since before he and his twin were even conceived). Still, he decided not to chide himself too much. Mum would've sent them to work in the garden whether they flew the car into Muggle territory or not, just without as much spite. "Years of practice, dear Harry." he replied.

"You should see mum," Fred continued. "I've seen her cast one completely out of sight—a good eighty feet, I'd say—with her bare hands."

"Give it your best swing," Ron said, pointing out to the barley fields that stretched on to the east, past the Weasley fence.

With a good swing in his skinny arm, Harry let the gnome fly, and the boys watched as it became a dot in the field beyond.

"Not bad, Potter," Fred said, shielding the sun from his eyes with his hand. "Better than Percy, anyway,"

"Yeah," George laughed. "Ginny had a good twenty feet on him by the time she was six."

Ron suddenly fell back onto the yellowing grass with a grunt and a snicker, soaking up the heat. "Think mum's still mad?" he moaned.

"'course." said George.

"Furious." Fred elaborated. "I'm surprised she's feeding us this morning."

"Because Harry is here, of course," George said, rolling up the sleeves of his sweater and cracking his knuckles absentmindedly.

"Oh, but of course." Fred sighed deeply and joined his brother on the grass.

"Hey," Harry said tensely. "I mean… it really does mean more than you know that you got me out of there. But if I knew about the trouble—"

"Trouble? Merlin's pants, Harry, it was brilliant!" Fred cried. "One of our favourite shenanigans, one for the books!"

"Right," George grinned. "And what an honour it is to be put into the book of the Great Gred and Forge."

Harry's face brightened at this, and he and George continued to chuck gnomes out of the yard until Mrs Weasley called them in for breakfast. As they headed into the house, Fred stopped George short and pointed to the barley fields. Alongside a creek that ran through the field stood a solitary, black-haired figure that seemed to be cooling off in the stream.

"A Muggle?" Fred muttered into his twin's ear, eyeing it suspiciously.

"Maybe… but dad's enchanted the house to repel Muggles, hasn't he? So it's got to be a wizard… no, the hair's pretty long, I think it's a girl."

"A girl?" Fred raised his eyebrows and peered over the fence, trying to enhance his view.

"Boys!" their mother called again. "Quit lingering in the doorway, breakfast will get cold!"

Fred, his eyes lighting up at the thought of food, rushed inside and took his place at the table. George, looking back just once more, joined him soon afterwards. The figure was gone when they returned to the garden.

* * *

September 1st was bright and bathed all of England and its inhabitants in its warmth. The countryside seemed to gleam as the Hogwarts Express passed it by, every lake and stream shimmering in the sunlight and every tree as green as could be. Nina sat alone in a train compartment, gazing absentmindedly at the pastures that zipped by, a bottle containing a pink liquid cupped in her hands. The summer was nothing more than a black void that consumed her, day after day. Occasionally, she would walk along a creek not too far from her house, though that proved to provide little to no enjoyment. There was no anticipation or excitement to be felt for the coming year, just constant emptiness and exasperation. Nina stroked the glass wall of the bottle in her hands and suddenly felt more desolate than ever.

"Greatness…" she muttered to herself. "What's so _great_ about me?"

There was a knock on the compartment door and two girls, first-years by the look of them, stepped in.

"Sorry," said one, a girl with a mane of bright orange hair. "Mind if we sit with you? Everywhere else is full."

"Fine," Nina told them, turning back to the window. "I don't care."

"Thanks," she said, taking a seat across from Nina. Her companion, a girl with lengthy, wavy blonde hair, took a seat next to her. "My name's Ginny, by the way. And this here is Luna."

"Oh." Nina replied stonily. There was a moment of silence in which the two girls took their time staring expectantly at Nina. She sighed and told them, "I'm Nina."

"That's nice. Is it your first year, too?" Ginny asked cheerily.

"No."

"Really? You look so young… so what year are you?"

"Second."

"What house?"

Nina glared at Ginny, somewhat annoyed. "Slytherin." she replied.

Ginny's voice faltered. "Oh." she said. "Oh, I see…"

"Slytherins have quite the dark reputation, don't they?" Luna asked airily.

Ginny inhaled sharply through her teeth and grabbed Luna's shoulder abruptly. Luna seemed unconcerned and continued to gaze at Nina with her large, blue eyes.

"Yes, they do." Nina replied quietly. "And I'll hex you if you continue to pester me."

"Well, _excuse us._" Ginny sneered, crossing her arms. "We'll find a different compartment, then. Come on, Luna."

"Oh, but I like her." Luna said, not taking her eyes off of Nina.

"Like her—? Come off it, she wants to be alone, can't you see?" Ginny muttered, warily eyeing the two girls.

"Do you mind if we stay?" Luna asked, her gaze remaining unwavering.

After a moment's consideration, Nina replied, "I don't care."

Ginny sighed. "I'm going to sit with Fred and George and them. I'll see you later then, Luna?"

"I suppose so." Luna replied. "Good-bye."

As Ginny left, Luna and Nina sat in an oddly comfortable silence. The two watched as the sun sunk into the hills in the west, painting the sky a dozen colours. Finally, Luna spoke again.

"That bottle you're holding—what is it?" she asked.

Nina traced the flower imprint on the glass container as she gazed at it sadly. "My mother's perfume,"

An understanding passed between the two. "I miss my mother, too." Luna replied.

Nina sighed and leaned back in her seat, her eyes grazing the toffee-coloured ceiling of the compartment. "You must think me pathetic, wasting away here like this." she said suddenly.

"A bit," Luna replied honestly. "But a dying elk is a bit pathetic too, don't you think?"

"Why an elk?" Nina questioned, furrowing her brows.

"Because they're so beautiful, of course. They never hurt anyone, do they? So to see one slowly dying… it's quite sad, isn't it," Luna said. "to see something so beautiful rot alive? That's what I think of when I see you."

The sky darkened quickly, and the girls finished changing into their robes just as the train pulled into Hogsmeade station. They stepped onto the platform together, only for Luna to soon depart for the first-year's boats.

"Hey, Luna?" Nina called as she leaving.

"Yes?"

"How do you save a dying elk?" she asked, desperation lingering in her voice.

"Well," Luna said, tapping her chip thoughtfully. "I suppose you can't. But then again, you're not an elk, are you?" And she skipped away, leaving Nina to be carried away by the crowds of older students.

Hogwarts greeted everyone humbly and warmly, its countless tapestries fluttering gently in the castle's hollow breezes and its glowing lanterns warming the stone surfaces of the walls and floors. The Great Hall filled up quickly with the older students, all of whom were anxious to eat and get to bed. Nina took a seat next to Blaise Zabini, a tall black boy with high cheekbones who was also a second-year, and two older students she didn't recognize.

"Merlin, I'm starved." Blaise moaned. "I'd kill for some treacle pudding."

"Mmm, a nice hunk of it," one of the older students droned, her green eyes lighting up. "Drenched in syrup,"

Blaise sighed as he cupped his face in his hands. "Where the hell is that great oaf Haggar and the first-years?" he snapped.

"Patience, love." said the girl again, staring longingly into her empty goblet. She, too, sighed, and then turned to Nina. "Shouldn't you be lining up for the Sorting?"

"Funny, Boone. She's in my year." Blaise said exasperatedly. "Nina Brittleton, or something." Blaise leaned into Nina and muttered, "_Don't_ ask her about herself, she'll never shut up."

"Brittleton, huh?" she said brightly, clearly not having heard her beforehand. "Well, I'm Nora Boone. And this guy next to me is Terence Higgs," she motioned to the boy next to her. He looked young, though he seemed to be a considerable height and bulk. His cold, beady eyes were accented by his thick black brows, giving him a rather mean look. "He's on the Quidditch team. He doesn't talk much, though."

"I see…" Nina said, looking over Higgs nervously. She turned to Nora. "Do you play on the team, too?"

As Nina was finishing her sentence, Blaise was desperately making rather strange gagging noises and flailing his arms, only for him to groan as Nora's eyes lit up moments later. "There, you've done it now," he muttered.

"Well, my dad—Muggle; I'm half and half, see—always told me I've got the build of an athlete. My sister, Jasmine—graduated last year—played on the Hufflepuff team since third year. Dad was so proud to hear she was going into sports; he played for England in this sport called football. It's terribly boring, really, just kicking some floppy old thing across this mucky field; completely ruins your shoes, I'll tell you that much. He tried to sign me up for lessons when I was eight, what a _disaster_ that was, I'm telling you! I ended up hitting some poor kid in the face and breaking his nose—not with the ball, mind you. My shoe just went and flew off! Anyway, that was the end of football. My mum's from India, see, but she never really liked Quidditch. Crazy, right? My sister and I go bonkers over it. But I'm terribly uncoordinated, so I couldn't make the team if I tried. Higgs'll tell you, try-outs were just awful last year. Madam Hooch said I wasn't fit for Quidditch, says if I break anyone's nose again she'll never let me near a broomstick again." she sighed. "It's so unfair, you know? But then again—"

"Hey, look!" Blaise, who had clearly been praying for some kind of distraction, shouted suddenly. "_Finally_, they decided to show up."

Indeed, the first-years were now piling into the Great Hall, each and every one of them seeming to have a serious case of the jitters. Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat onto its stool, and it burst forth into its usual greeting song. After the applause had died down, the Sorting ceremony ensued. Nina took note of the ginger girl from before, Ginny, who turned out to be a Weasley, and the house she was placed into: Gryffindor. Luna Lovegood became a Ravenclaw, somewhat to Nina's disappointment, as she would have enjoyed her company at the Slytherin table, and the plates filled up instantly with heaps of scrumptious food.

"Man, I remember secon' year rike it was yes'er'ay…" Nora continued, her mouth full of a chewed-up pork roast.

"Swallow before you speak, would you?" Blaise muttered, clearly annoyed. "And you're not too far off, idiot. You're only a year older than us, remember?"

"Bu' 'he work-road is compretery di'eren'! We ge' heaps more!" she hollered angrily, small chunks of food playing out of her mouth and onto Blaise.

Scowling, Blaise wiped a chunk of meat from his cheek and hissed, "Classes start _tomorrow_, idiot." He then muttered something about filthy half-bloods and their animalistic ways before returning to his plate.

Nina, on the other hand, found herself giggling in amusement. "Do they often accept second-years on the team?" she asked.

"Depends on how you plan on getting in." Blaise said. "Malfoy's desperate to become Seeker; I'd bet anything he's buying his way in this year."

"Why does he want to be Seeker so badly?" Nina asked.

Blaise snorted. "Because Potter's Seeker on the Gryffindor team, obviously. Plus it's the star position. Draco would crawl through a mile of glass if he could get the chance to gloat in Potter's face."

"So stupid," Nora rolled her eyes. "It's bad enough they beat us last year and got both the House Cup _and_ the Quidditch Cup. If Malfoy screws us over I'll castrate him."

As the night winded down, everyone headed straight to their dormitories and settled in. Nina, having to share her sleeping quarters with Pansy Parkinson, was less than delighted to find her sneering at her from the other side of the room as they were changing into their nightgowns.

"Nice knickers." she snickered, eyeing her polka-dotted undergarments.

_Thanks for taking your time to notice, pervert,_ Nina thought bitterly as she slipped her Slytherin sweater over her pyjamas. A small glass vial slipped out of one of the pockets, and Nina caught it just before it hit the ground.

"What's that?"

"Nothing." she said, hiding her mother's perfume behind her back protectively.

"Come on, then, give it here…" Pansy said in a falsely sweet voice, reaching for it. "_Accio!_"

"Hey—" Nina yelled as the bottle slipped from her fingers and into Pansy's. "Give it back! When did you learn _that_ spell? That's fourth-year magic!"

Pansy snickered again, examining the bottle with her dark eyes. "Unlike you, I'm actually a _legitimate_ child. _My_ parents don't mind teaching me a few new tricks… heh." She turned her eyes on Nina, who was now near tears. "_Perfume?_ You _actually_ brought _perfume?_ What, looking for some love? Planning on cozying up with Goyle?"

"_No! It's not mine!_" she hollered, still attempting to snatch the bottle from Pansy's grip. Pansy pushed her away, laughing.

"All the makeup in the world couldn't save your ugly face!" she jeered, holding the bottle far above her head. On the other side of the room, two of Pansy's friends were giggling uncontrollably.

"Drop it, Pansy!" Nina whined, tears now dripping from her eyes. She felt as though each of Pansy's words were like needles, each one stabbing itself into her throat, slowly suffocating her.

"Drop it, you say? All right, then," she smirked, and tossed the bottle off to her right. Nina scrambled for it, reaching out her hand to catch it. She watched as it fell—it was going to fall directly into her hand! She stretched her finger tips, reaching with all of her might…

Pansy shoved her backward into her suitcase, laughing still, and the bottle shattered on the wooden floor. Nina gasped and scurried over to the mess, cupping the pieces of glass that were strayed about the floor. Both the pungent fumes and her tears stung her eyes viciously as she sat, curled up, on the floor, shaking. Pansy knelt down next to her, a grin strung across her lips. She brushed back Nina's hair, oh-so gently, and spoke softly into her ear.

_"You will always be undesirable,"_ she whispered. Then she was gone, and the room went black. Nina remained there, huddled in the corner and silently crying, nothing but Milicent Bulstrode's snores and the lake water lapping against the dormitory's windows pierced the night air. Shakily, Nina held out her wand, focusing all of her mind's energy on that spell she knew would solve the problem.

_"Reparo."_

The fragments of glass shuddered for a moment as the spell's effect took place, but then died down quickly and remained stationary.

_"Reparo!"_ Nina repeated, clenching her jaw. _Reparo! Reparo! Reparo!"_

Each time was the same: a failure. She sat there, crying still, and cursed her incapability to perform the simplest of spells. Somewhere in her mind, a cold voice muttered,

**_You deserve this._**

Nina agreed as she slowly stood and crawled under her emerald green sheets. She closed her weary, reddened eyes and let her thoughts consume her exhausted soul.

**_You're so pathetic, just stand up for yourself, why don't you? Ah, that's right, how could I forget? You're not worth that much._**

****_True_, she thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep. _Mother knew it, she told me many times. Pansy knows it too, she's just being honest… so kind of her, really. To give me what I deserve._

_**Poor dear, having to put up with you like this… Aren't you so pathetic? So worthless? Of course you are.**_

****_Definitely,_ Nina replied sleepily. _I have no worth._

_**None at all. Not even as a whore. You are nothing, Nina Brimstone.**_

**_ You've known this for a long time, haven't you?_**

****Nina didn't reply; she had fallen asleep. The voice grinned and stroked her dark hair as she slept.

**_Goodnight, worthless child._**

* * *

**Reviews mean the world to me! Thanks so much to everyone's who been leaving them, you really are the best! ^_^ I won't post another chapter until the end of this week, so make sure to follow if you like what I'm posting. Ciao!**


	5. The Shadow Man

**AN: GUESS WHO AIN'T DEAD. Okay, so, I sort of lied about updating within the week guys. SORRY. In all honesty I've been working on getting better for the past few weeks, and my doctor says I'm getting loads better! And now that summer vacation is here, I get to write a lot more, which is great! I feel a lot better, too, so we get to have a lot more fun times together, WEOOOOOO.**

**A huge high five to all of my wonderful reviewers and followers, I wouldn't have continued this far without all of you. This chapter's a little boring, but I'm trying to work up to the good stuff-a lot of messed up stuff happens to Nina come Christmas time. Look forward to it!**

**A warning for this chapter: This chapter of ****_Suddenly_**** contains mild triggers, such as delusions, hallucinations, and dark thoughts. If you are easily swayed by such ideas then proceed with caution, and close the window if you start to hyperventilate or delve into an episode. Contact outside help if you have any thoughts of death, suicide, or homicide.**

**(It's really not that bad, it's just a warning to anyone out there that might be a little sensitive)**

* * *

Summer waned quickly as the school year advanced, bringing forth frosty autumn mornings and crisp, colourful evenings. A strange mix of cheer and melancholy lingered in the musty, familiar air of the castle as the term dragged on, both the teachers and students aching under the workloads as winter break drew nearer. Snape, seemingly unfazed by the prospect of long nights spent marking, was handing out essays like they were candy canes on Christmas.

"I want a three foot essay on how the mushrooms that sprout due to the effects of the Fungiface Potion could potentially erase prospects of hunger worldwide on my desk Monday morning, no excuses." he had told them as class Potions class drew to a close. As he began to drawl about the importance of horrible, deforming drafts in solving many prominent issues in societies worldwide, Nina noticed Blaise Zambini stifling a yawn.

"Ten more minutes," he muttered to her, glancing at the clock on the wall opposite them. "Are you going to Quidditch tryouts?"

"You know they never let girls on the team." Nina whispered back sadly. "Besides, I bet most of the good spots will be taken by the older students."

"You're friends with Pucey though, right? It's one of his last years as captain, you should go for it."

Nina turned back to Snape, who was now eyeing them as he rambled on. When the bell chimed, signalling the end of the day, Blaise scrambled to his feet and stuffed his books into his bag.

"Last chance," he told her.

Nina smiled weakly at him. "I'll come and watch you."

He shrugged, rubbing his dark hands together. "It's freezing down here, come on."

As they left the classroom, Draco's cohorts and the man himself, who was looking rather sour, joined them.

"Thinks he's all that does he, all because of some decade-old scar sitting on his forehead?" Draco sneered, glaring back at Harry, who was gabbing happily to his friends behind them. "Well, Potter's in for a surprise. Wait until he finds out I made Seeker."

"But you haven't even tried out yet." Nina protested.

"I made the team the moment I bought the Slytherin House players _Nimbus 2001_'s." Draco smirked.

Crabbe and Goyle rumbled in agreement, though none of their words actually seemed to be very audible or coherent. Draco looked pleased nonetheless.

Blaise and Nina exchanged vexed looks as they trailed up the dungeon staircase and piled into the Entrance Hall. Despite the temperature being crisp, golden sunlight flooded into the hall through the castle's stained glass windows and danced across the shining marble flooring.

"It's so gorgeous out today," Nina said dreamily.

"Mm," Blaise replied gruffly. "We'll probably end up missing dinner, depending on how long the tryouts take."

"Let's just get out to the Quidditch field; it's the one and only tryout of the season. If you miss it, you're done for the year." Nina said anxiously, rolling on the balls of her feet.

Blaise shot a glare at her as they animated towards the door. "You don't need to remind me."

"Sorry."

"It's fine."

They hurried through the courtyard and across the grounds, heading directly for the Quidditch pitch. Malfoy was going on about how his father's paycheque was responsible for his new position, and he was just getting started on ragging on the Weasley family as they entered the stadium.

"Snape booked the stadium for the Slytherins, didn't he?" Nina asked.

"Yeah, he's a real doll." Blaise said. "If you're not trying out then go get a seat in the stands with Who."

"Who?"

"_Ginger Who_." Blaise grumbled as he raced off toward the change rooms with Malfoy. "Got a real talent for stating the obvious, that girl…"

Nina frowned and turned swiftly at her heel, muttering obscenities under her breath as she made her way into the stands with Crabbe and Goyle.

_"OI, OI, OI! NO COBBING, DAMNIT! MOVE LEFT, LEFT, PUCEY!"_ Ginger was screaming hoarsely up in the stands. "_WHOO-OO-OO-OO-OO! YEAH, MOVE IT BABY! SHOW 'EM, SH—_oh, hey lovelies!"

"Hi Ginger." Nina mumbled as she slumped onto the bench in the stands, Crabbe and Goyle sitting on either side of her.

"Hey, why aren't you trying out, kiddo?" Ginger asked sympathetically, placing a gloved hand on her shoulder. "This is your game, girl."

Nina sighed. "No second year is going to make the team unless their daddy pays for it, Ginger."

"Not with that attitude." She crossed her arms disapprovingly. "I've seen you study Quidditch books like they were the Holy Bible, so don't you go telling me you can't do something. I bet you'd be great."

Beside her, Crabbe and Goyle grunted in agreement, and she cracked a smile.

"Now, I want you to swear to me that you'll practice over the summer and try out next year." Ginger said seriously. "A whole bunch of us are graduating this year and we want to leave behind a good legacy, ya hear?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Excellent." Ginger grinned. As she glanced back at the Quidditch pitch, her face fell. "Uh-oh."

"What?"

"Gryffindors. Come on, let's see what's happening."

Two steps at a time, they scrambled down the wooden steps of the stadium that led to the field and raced up behind their team.

"For the last time, Snape booked the field for us." Pucey barked impatiently at the Gryffindor captain, Oliver Wood.

Wood inadvertently straightened out, which both broadened his shoulders and puffed out his chest in the process. "McGonagall double checked the time table, Pucey. On the contrary, _you're_ the one who needs to leave."

"Oi!" Ginger slipped past the other Slytherins and took up a position at Pucey's side. "Get lost, butter face. We're playing here."

Wood raised an eyebrow. "Take a breather, Who. Can't you go bother someone else?"

Ginger snorted. "Get over yourself, Wood. If I wanted a bitch I would've bought a dog. Now, if a throw a stick will you leave?"

In an instant the Weasley twins and Angelina Johnson had materialized next to Wood. Nina hurried through the crowd and took a place next to Pucey. She tugged at his sleeve, nervously glancing back and forth between the two parties.

"This isn't a good idea, Adrian." she whispered. "Maybe there's just been a misunderstanding."

"Who pissed in your pumpkin juice, Who?" Angelina shot at Ginger.

"You know, I would slap you," Ginger hissed, taking threatening a step toward Angelina. "But that would be animal abuse."

"_Ginger!_" Nina gasped.

In a flash, the Weasley twins had pulled their wands from their robes and were pointing them directly at Ginger. Panic flashed in Pucey's eyes as he whipped out his own and protectively blocked Ginger from their line of fire. In a matter of seconds, every individual on the team was aiming their wand at the opposite party. Nina hopped from one foot to the other nervously, part of her telling her to intervene and another part of her telling her to run as far as her feet could possibly carry her.

"Bad move." Pucey hissed at the twins. "If you touch her with your grimy fingers you're both going six feet under."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, drop your wands." Nina could hear Hermione Granger bark from behind the crowd of Gryffindors. She shoved her way through them and stood between the two sides, Ron Weasley trailing behind her, his wand also pointed at the Slytherins.

"Don't go near them, Hermione." he warned, narrowing his eyes at Draco. "They're no good, this lot."

"I know that much." she muttered. "Hold my books a minute, won't you Ronald?"

Without so much as a grunt in compliance, Hermione unloaded several textbooks into Ron's feeble grasp and turned to Oliver Wood, her hands on her hips.

"Bloody hell, how do you carry these things?!" Ron moaned under the weight of the books. "They're thicker than Crabbe and Goyle."

"Get out of the way, Hermione." Fred told her, annoyed.

"I'm not going to stand by and let you all kill each other." she said pointedly.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood." Malfoy growled, raising his wand to Hermione's head.

"You'll regret that, Malfoy!" Ron bellowed as Hermione's books slipped out of his hands. He shoved Hermione aside and aimed his wand at Malfoy. _"Eat Slugs!_"

A puke-coloured light emitted from Ron's wand and Malfoy flinched, awaiting the oncoming blow. Just as everyone was sure that Malfoy was destined to endure some slug-induced fate for the rest of his life, Ron flew backwards into Fred and George, and the brothers toppled backwards together. The Slytherins howled with laughter while Nina and the rest of the Gryffindors crowded around the Weasley's, all of whom were squirming uncomfortably.

"Ah, damnit, Ron, you great git!" one of the twins hollered, shoving Ron's foot out of his face.

"Get—off!" moaned the other, whose chest was being compressed by the weight of his brother's buttocks.

"What happened?" Angelina shouted.

"His wand broke in September when they crashed the car," Hermione explained quickly. "It backfires on occasion."

Harry and Hermione knelt down and brought a green-faced Ron to his feet.

"Ron, are you okay?" Harry asked desperately, his glasses slightly askew and face lined with confusion and worry.

Ron swayed on the spot slightly before he keeled over and vomited into the grass. Nina moaned as she tried to look away, but she found that she couldn't. She noticed the vomit squirming slightly on the grass and realized, to her horror, that Ron had thrown up several ripe, plump slugs. The Slytherins, who had joined Nina in order to gain a front-row seat, toppled backwards in laughter, their faces red and grins wide.

"He needs to get to Madame Pomfrey," Angelina said hurriedly.

"That's too far." Harry said as both he and Hermione helped carry Ron's weight. "We'll take him to Hagrid's. C'mon, Hermione…"

The trio stumbled towards the pitch's exit together, leaving the disputing teams alone. Beside her, Nina noticed a sigh escaping Wood's mouth.

"Mister Oliver?" Nina asked tentatively.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"May I see the note Professor McGonagall gave you?"

He narrowed his eyes. "No."

"Please? You could hold it in front of me so I don't have to touch it."

Wood rolled his eyes and shoved a hand into his cloak pocket, pulling out a crinkled piece of parchment and handing it to Nina. She took it, and examined McGonagall's beautiful, loopy scrawl. After a few moments, she handed it back to him.

"You've got the date wrong."

"Excuse me?" he hissed, staring wide-eyed at the parchment. "I haven't got the—"

"It says there that you're due to use the pitch on Friday for try-outs. It's Thursday today."

Wood gaped at the parchment, then Nina, then the parchment again. Gently folding the parchment and placing it back into his pocket, he held Nina's gaze.

"You won't—"

"Not a soul, Oliver, so long as you pack up and let us practice."

Wood nodded curtly, turned on his heel, and walked briskly to the change rooms, waving the rest of his team over to him. The Gryffindors stared menacingly at Nina as they passed her by, and then quickly followed suit. Sighing, Nina took a seat on the edge of the stadium next to Ginger, Crabbe and Goyle and watched the golden light fade as the sun sank into the distant hills behind the players.

"I _knew_ I should've gotten my mum to pay to get me in." Blaise muttered darkly after tryouts, still seething that he hadn't made Keeper.

"Not _everyone_ can buy their way in, Blaise." Nina said reassuringly. "You've still got five years left to try and make the team."

Blaise shrugged as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "Maybe it's just not my game."

"You've got that right." Ginger Who came up from behind them, tugging Adrian Pucey along with her. "I've never seen such a sloppy player, honestly… It's like you weren't even trying—"

"What's it to a Mudblood like you?" Blaise snapped.

"Watch it." said Pucey warningly.

"Say, Brimstone." Ginger piped up suddenly, trying to defuse the situation—apparently disputes within the House weren't her style. "What did you say to that Wood guy after that redheaded git screwed himself over?"

"Hm? Me? I didn't say anything." Nina replied, now kicking a rock that had appeared on the path of the courtyard they were walking along.

"Bullocks," Ginger pressed. "What did you say?"

Nina sighed. "I just told him to leave when Potter did. You know, they couldn't play without the Seeker and all."

Ginger was quiet for a moment, and then she broke into a smile. "Well, whatever you said, it got his lot to leave. Good on you, kid."

Nina smiled weakly as she held open the door to the Entrance Hall. "It was my pleasure."

"Hey, check it out."

From the corner of her eye, Nina spotted three figures, one of which was clutching an oversized bucket to his chest, materializing around the bend of the courtyard.

"Tsh. It's a shame Malfoy left early," Blaise muttered as he drifted into the castle. "He'd love a chance to poke at those tarts."

"Let's get to the common room; I'm freezing my keister off out here." Pucey moaned as he slipped past Nina and into the Entrance Hall, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

The four of them loitered by the door for a short while, complaining at how the Ravenclaws _and_ Gryffindors were currently in the lead for House Points, before being whisked away to their dorms by a Prefect.

"Man, do I wish I were in second year again." Ginger said sadly as they entered the Slytherin common room, reminiscing about 'the good old days'. "Games in class, easy charm work, no homework—"

"What a load of bull." Blaise said angrily. "Snape just assigned us a three-foot-long essay about curing world hunger with the growths on people's faces!"

"Yeah, and McGonagall's expecting us to turn hedgehogs into pincushions!" Nina whined. "Mine still has feet and runs around the classroom pooping on other people's desks, it's horrible…"

"Three feet!" Pucey shouted, turning a few heads in the common room. "Three-foot essays, honestly! Wait until you get ten!"

"T-ten?" Nina gulped.

"Oh, yes." Ginger said darkly. "And hedgehogs aren't anything compared to jaguars—one boy in our year had three fingers taken off by one of them."

"He had to learn to write with his left hand, poor bugger…"

"And he never wears short sleeves because he's too embarrassed—even in the middle of August you'll find him in a jumper."

"That—that's not true!" Nina stammered nervously. She turned to Blaise. "Is it?"

Blaise rolled his eyes and marched off to the boy's dorm without as much as another word.

"All right, kid. Beat it." Pucey flicked the back of Nina's head.

_"Ouch!_ Why? It's my common room as much as it is yours!"

"Oi, didn't you hear me?" Pucey released Ginger's hand and glared down at her, his intimidating aura washing over Nina. "Scat!"

Nina crossed her arms and scurried away, muttering as she left them and entered the second-year girls' dormitory. To her surprise, it was empty (apart from Millicent Bulstrode, who was dozing in her bed in the far off corner), despite it being 9:00.

"Get a room you two, honestly… think you can just be such a little…" she was muttering to herself as she slammed open her trunk.

"What, talking to yourself now?"

She whirled around to find Pansy Parkinson followed by two of her friends, her signature grin stretched across her pug-like face.

"No." Nina replied quietly, turning back around and digging through her trunk for her pyjamas.

"You didn't come to dinner." she said. "Don't tell me you were trying out for the team?"

"I wasn't." Nina hissed through her gritted teeth.

"Ahh, good idea. Even if you did make the team by some miracle, you'd no doubt send us right to the bottom." Pansy snickered, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms. One of her friends went to take a seat on Nina's bed, only to have Pansy stop her in her tracks. "Merlin's beard, are you insane, Rosie? Don't sit _there_. Her sheets stink worse than her mummy's perfume."

"You're a lifesaver, Pansy." Rosie said snidely.

"Go to bed, Pansy." Nina told her softly as she pulled out her pyjamas and shut her trunk. "There's school tomorrow."

Pansy crinkled her nose at her and walked briskly to her bed, coughing _"bitch"_ into her hand as she passed her. Nina stood there for a moment, her eyes following the crinkles in her bed sheets, her mind completely blank. She changed into her nightgown, crawled in between the sheets, and lay awake.

**_You're so _****weak****_, Nina Brimstone, you're the weakest parasite I've ever laid my eyes on. You let anyone and everyone walk all over you—it's quite the sight. I'm glad I have a front row seat._**

****She tossed in between the sheets uncomfortably, the voice penetrating her with every seething word.

**_They all hate you, you know. You can hear them whispering whenever your back is turned, can't you?_**

****_"Shut—up." _Nina murmured to herself, her face screwed in concentration.

**_You know, Pansy comes from a very powerful Pure-blood family… you know this, of course, but did you know that she's hell-bent on eliminating you?_**

****"Liar," Nina whispered back.

**_She's hired Sirius Black to come and kill you._**

_Liar!_ Nina thought desperately. _He's in Azkaban, a thousand miles away!_

**_That's what she wants you to think._**

Nina shuddered at the thought of Black's face, his teeth rotting out of his head and his eyes wild with a craze for blood. Her eyes assimilated quickly to the darkness, taking notice of every eerie shadow that flitted across the room and every object coated in a thick layer of darkness.

**_Everyone is in on it. _****TheDaily Prophet****_, the Ministry of Magic, even Dumbledore. She's paid them all to shut up while she takes you down._**

_But… but why me? If I'm as pathetic as you say, then she shouldn't mind me, right?_ Nina stammered inwardly, he wide, alert eyes scanning every inch of the dorm.

**_Silly girl… you should have realized it before. She can't bear the sight of you, nobody can. Pansy is just trying to cleanse the world of impurities—of parasites._**

****_Like me?_

_**Like you.**_

****Nina shivered and grabbed her wand, which was resting on her night table. Behind her, she felt a tickle across her neck, as though someone was breathing on her. She turned quickly and pointed her wand into the darkness, only to find that nobody was there.

She lay awake for several more hours, constantly battling the Voice within her and the night, which shrouded her in darkness.

**_He'll slit your throat in your sleep, Black. He'd much rather see the blood pour out of you rather than end it all with a quick spell…_**

****Just past midnight, a thumping outside of the dorm lifted Nina's eyelids from their drowsy state. She watched the door, trembling, straining to hear the noise on the outside. She heard a scuffling just outside, and the low voice of a man muttering. The words he spoke were incoherent, though the voice itself was audible. Terrified, Nina slipped out from under the covers and took cover under her bed. She curled into a ball, tears welling up in her eyes as she waited for what was certainly her death.

From the corner of her eye, a man materialized at the other end of the room. He was nothing more than an outline in the darkness, though he was definitely there. She breathed slowly through her mouth, terrified by the very thought of making a sound. The figure rushed toward her, and she stifled a squeak as the man, who was wearing what appeared to be thick, black combat boots, stopped short in front of her bed. She stared, horrified, at the boots before her, shivering at the thought of the rest of the man. Sirius Black was surely confused by the fact that she wasn't in her bed—no, he knew she was there, hiding. He would wait her out, and strike her down the moment she left her shelter.

**_Accept your fate,_** the Voice told her.

_I can't,_ was Nina's reply.

She wasn't sure how long she lay awake, gazing at the infamous murderer's form, before she realized it was morning. Whether she had fallen asleep or not during the night, she wasn't sure, all she knew was that Black had disappeared, and the morning light shone through the lake and hit the windows of the dormitory. Nina crawled out from under her bed, her body aching with dozens of cramps, and collapsed back into her bed. She probably didn't have any more than an hour, she thought, as she closed her eyes. An hour to rest up before having to face the oncoming day, before eating breakfast in a hall full of people who were trying to kill her, before having to put up with Snape and his perilous potions.

And what a glorious hour it was.

* * *

**_Psychosis is a serious but treatable medical condition that reflects a disturbance in brain functioning. A person with psychosis experiences some loss of contact with reality, characterized by changes in their way of thinking, believing, perceiving and/or behaving. For the person experiencing psychosis, the condition can be very disorienting and distressing. Without effective treatment, psychosis can overwhelm the lives of individuals and families._**

**I'll update again as soon as I can. Reviews are stellar, and so are you! :D**


	6. Parkinson's Disease

**Is it just me, or does Miley Cyrus' new video "We Can't Stop" terrify the crap out of you? The song is addicting nonetheless. LOVING IT. AND NOW, LET THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS BE OPENED! BUAHAHAHAHAHA! This is a long chapter, and the first half is from the golden Trio's POV. Strange, I know, but the best thing to do is just roll with it. I also had to take a really big chunk out of CoS for the first part of the chapter, but I tried not to make it so the sentences were identical. I kept a lot of the dialogue the same, but I shifted it around some, too. Nonetheless, this chapter is very Rowling-esque.**

**And with the last chapter, I've realized that I HAVE MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE. Ginger was originally supposed to be on the Slytherin Quidditch team with Pucey, but I forgot about it and LOL OOPS. Let's just say she didn't want to play in her seventh year, yeah?**

**And I realize the major absence of Fred and George is deafening at the moment, but I'm afraid you'll just have to grit your teeth and bear through it for the next few chapters. They make their appearance soon enough.**

* * *

"Harry, you _said _you would go." Hermione reminded Harry bossily as she, Harry, and Ron strode down the marble staircase, heading to Nearly Headless Nick's annual Deathday Party.

"I know, I _know._" Harry muttered, annoyed. "We're going, all right?"

"But Harry," Ron protested. "Have you_ seen_ the Great Hall this year? The pumpkins Hagrid brought in are the size of my living room! And Dumbledore's rallying in this group of dancing skeletons for entertainment—"

"A promise is a promise." Hermione said finally, and Ron's face fell. They slinked into the dungeons, shivering from the rapidly decreasing temperature, and entered a rather dank, dark room, its entrance draped with deep, plum-coloured curtains. Within the chamber, a few hundred silvery apparitions appeared to be floating around in a daze, and an awful orchestra was playing what appeared to be about 30 musical saws.

"Is that supposed to be _music?_" Ron whispered.

"My dear friends," Nearly Headless Nick, who had drifted over to welcome them, greeted mournfully. "Welcome, welcome… so pleased you could come…"

He bowed them inside, and the three of them stood together stiffly, watching the many translucent people drift around the room. When a ghost passed through Harry, causing him to shudder violently, he suggested that they look around.

"Well," Ron said. "Aren't you glad we came here instead of that dreary old feast upstairs? Hermione?"

"Oh, quiet, Ron." Hermione snapped. "Harry made a promise to Nick to come, it's not like he could just walk out on him."

"I beg to differ." Ron said darkly.

"Hey," Harry said, nodding to the other side of the room. "That's not a ghost, is it?"

They directed their attention to the make-shift dance floor in the middle of the dungeon where most ghosts were waltzing and socializing. Chatting with a gaunt, slender-looking ghost was a very small girl who they recognized to be a Slytherin second-year.

"Fancy that." Ron said, bewildered. "We weren't the only ones invited to this God-awful party."

"Let's go over to her." Hermione suggested.

"Are you mad?" Ron said, pulling Hermione back by her arm. "We don't go 'round chatting it up with Slytherins."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shrugged him off. "Come off it, Ron, she's not as bad as Malfoy."

"She's probably friends with Parkinson and them," Ron muttered as they moved towards her. "The whole lot of them are nasty little blighters if you ask me. I wouldn't trust one of them if you paid me to."

"If she _was_ friends with Pansy, don't you think she'd be upstairs in the feast, then?" Hermione hissed. She turned away from Ron and tapped the girl on the shoulder. She whisked around, her eyes wide, and Harry examined her; it was the first time he had gotten a good look at her.

Her hair dark fell around her rounded, pale face like a thin curtain. Her eyes were large and brown with dark bags lurking underneath them. She looked as though she hadn't slept in days.

"Hello, Nina." Hermione said brightly. "What brings you here?"

Rather than so much as cracking a smile, Nina studied each of them carefully and finally rested her eyes on Ron. "You're a Weasley." she said.

"Got a problem?" Ron grunted, scowling.

Nina shook her head. She rested her eyes on Ron's head and gazed at it dreamily. "Can I touch your hair?"

"Excuse me?" Ron asked, bewildered.

"It's very orange," she said. "I like oranges."

Biting back a snicker, Harry nudged Ron in the arm. "Go on, then."

His ears burning crimson, Ron leaned forward and endured Nina's small hand rustling through his hair. When Hermione's giggling reached its peak, he quickly pulled away and crossed his arms, suddenly fascinated by his shoelaces.

"Erm… are you feeling all right?" Harry asked Nina, nervously watching as she swayed on the spot.

"Hm? Oh… oh yes, Potter. I'm fine, I'm just…" she trailed off, her droopy eyes still fixated on Ron's hair. "What time is it?"

"Just past seven," Hermione replied slowly.

"Has the feast started yet?"

"Yeah, about half an hour ago," said Harry.

She swayed on the spot some more, her dark eyes calculating. Then she nodded to them in farewell, said something about taking a walk, and drifted away.

"What was that about?" Hermione murmured, watching as she left the dungeon, alone.

"Who knows? They're all bonkers." Ron said dismissively. "Look, food!"

* * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione hurried back up the dungeon corridor that led to the Deathday Party as fast as they could, desperate to never again rejoin the dreadful gathering they had left behind.

"Rotten food, honestly…" Ron grumbled as he shoved his hands under his armpits in an attempt to warm them up. "C'mon, maybe pudding isn't finished yet…"

"Let's just hurry," Harry muttered as they turned up a flight of stairs. Suddenly, he halted. "Wait."

"What?" Ron whined, anxiously shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

Harry had stopped completely, and appeared to be listening carefully to something.

"Erm… Harry…?" Hermione began.

"It's that voice again—shut up a minute—"

Ron and Hermione froze, listening intently, but were met only with the dull crackling of nearby torches.

"Do you hear anything?" Ron whispered into Hermione's ear.

She shook her head, and turned her worried gaze back to Harry. Suddenly, Harry flew up the rest of stairs and shouted, "This way, upstairs!"

"But the Great Hall's _that way_…" Ron said quietly to himself as he and Hermione followed him up the next flight of stairs. Harry strained to hear the echoing voice within the castle walls that he had heard. It spoke again, and he shivered.

_"…so… hungry… for so long… kill… time to kill… again…"_

"Harry, what are we—"

"SHUT IT!" Harry snapped. "It's going to kill. Come on,"

Harry hurtled up the marble staircase with Ron and Hermione panting after him and looped around the second floor, desperate to find the source of the noise.

"Harry…" Ron panted, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Harry, hold it for a sec…"

"_What_ was that all about? Harry, you—" Suddenly, Hermione gasped and pointed a trembling finger at the end of the deserted corridor. "_Look!_"

Glinting on a wall up ahead, shining red letters gleamed in the firelight. A bristly, shaggy object was hanging from one of the torches, and a small figure was standing, motionless, before the writing. Wands raised, the three approached the figure with caution, and suddenly recognized the tiny figure as they drew nearer.

"Nina?" Hermione gasped, rushing over to her. "Nina, what happened? Did…" she faltered. "Did you do this?"

Nina's face remained static as she gazed up at the wall, her lips slightly parted. They turned to the wall and read the writing, horror-struck.

_THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED._

_ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE._

"What's that thing—hanging underneath?" said Ron, his voice quivering slightly.

Harry took a step forward and almost slipped on the large puddle of water at their feet. From the torch bracket, hanging like a large, stiff bat, was Mrs Norris, her yellow eyes wide and her body motionless.

"Bloody hell…" Ron muttered.

"We need to go." Hermione said.

"Shouldn't we try to help—" Harry began awkwardly.

"She's right." Ron said. "We don't want to be found here. C'mon—"

"What about her?" Harry muttered, glancing at Nina, who remained motionless; unblinking, though slowly breathing.

"Let's just go, we—" Ron began, but he was cut off by a distant rumble from the floor below. They froze, realizing that the feast had ended, and knew they would be cut off by the oncoming masses of students. Within a matter of seconds, hundreds of people flooded the corridor, curious of what was ahead. The chatter and bustle died away as they saw the hanging cat and crimson writing, and a ghostly silence fell among the masses.

"Enemies of the heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

The drawl belonged to Draco Malfoy, who had stepped forward through the crowd. He eyed Hermione, his grey eyes alive with light, and then turned his attention to Nina. His grin fell, and his expression suddenly became unreadable.

"What's going on here? Outta my way, outta my way!"

Filch had pushed to the front of the crowd, obviously to see what all the commotion was about, and froze when he caught sight of his companion, hanging from the torch bracket. He shrieked, questioning what had happened, and his eyes fell on Harry.

"_You…_ murdered her—"

His accusation rang in Harry's ears. "N-no," he squeaked.

"You've killed her!" he bellowed. "I'll kill you, I'll wring your skinny neck, you—"

_"Argus!"_

Dumbledore had arrived, followed by the majority of the Hogwarts staff. In moments, he had swept over to the torch bracket and released Mrs Norris. He examined the writing on the wall for a moment, his spectacles glimmering, and he turned to the mass of students which stood before it.

"Prefects, please escort your Houses back to your common rooms," he ordered calmly. "Come with me, Filch. You four, too, please,"

"Headmaster," Gilderoy Lockhart, the charmingly buffoonish new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, stepped forward. "Please, my office is nearest. Feel free—"

"Thank you, Gilderoy." said Dumbledore.

Nina, Harry, Ron and Hermione were whisked to the third floor, followed by Lockhart, Snape and McGonagall, leaving behind the low mutterings of the students and entering to cool, upstairs chamber. They entered Lockhart's office, and almost immediately Dumbledore set Mrs Norris on Lockhart's gleaming ebony desk and began examining her, poking and prodding her with his thin, spidery fingers every so often. At a distance, Lockhart was throwing out suggestions.

"It was definitely a curse that killed her—yes, I'm almost certain it was the Transmogrifian Torture that took her life. I've seen it at work—ghastly, horrible thing to endure. So unlucky I wasn't there, I know just the counter-curse that would have saved her…"

Meanwhile, Filch was curled into a nearby armchair and heaving terrible, dry sobs that racked his entire, frail body, his face in his trembling hands.

"Yes, I remember something similar happening in Ouagadougou." Lockhart continued. "A series of attacks was wreaking havoc in the village; the full story is in my autobiography. I was able to provide the villagers with amulets which cleared the matter up at once…"

At last Dumbledore straightened up.

"She's not dead, Argus" Dumbledore told Filch softly.

Filch's face lit up like the 4th of July. "Not… dead?"

"I'm afraid that Mrs Norris has been Petrified. But how, I cannot say…"

"Ask _him!_"Filch choked, pointing a shaking hand at Harry. "He's the one who done it! You saw what he wrote on the wall!"

"I never _touched_ Mrs Norris!" Harry yelled defensively.

"Rubbish!" Filch snarled, his face purpling.

"If I may speak, Headmaster," Snape said from the shadows, his lips curling into a sneer. "Perhaps Potter and his friends were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. What I find curious is how these four, who haven't so much as spoken to each other in their time at Hogwarts, were all found at the scene of the crime." He glanced at Nina, who was now looking rather guilty, forebodingly. "And why weren't any of you at the Halloween feast? Why in that corridor?"

Everyone was suddenly staring expectantly at Harry, as though he was the one who was supposed to be explaining everything.

Immediately, Hermione vaulted into an explanation.

"You see, professor, by chance we were all invited the Sir Nicholas' Deathday Party, and Nina decided to leave partway through; she must have been tired."

"That's right." Ron jumped in. "There were hundreds of ghosts—they'll tell you we were there."

"Curious," Snape's voice suddenly turned to venom. "I could have sworn that our common room was _downstairs_." he spat, and Nina flinched.

"I…" Nina spoke in a very small, girlish voice. "I wasn't going to bed, sir. I was taking a walk with Moaning Myrtle, and then she… she got upset and rushed into her bathroom. I hurried after her, but when I got upstairs I… I came across the writing and Mrs Norris." She shivered. "I couldn't think, sir. I just froze up, I'm sorry."

"That much is obvious," Snape said. He then turned back to Harry, Ron and Hermione. "And why didn't you three come up to the feast?"

"Because—because we were tired and decided to go to bed." Harry said, perhaps a little too quickly.

"Without any supper?" Snape's lips curled into a cold, cruel smirk. "I highly doubt that ghosts provide food fit for living people at their parties."

"We weren't hungry," said Ron loudly, as his stomach gave a huge rumble.

Snape's nasty smile widened.

"I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter isn't being entirely truthful." he said. "It might be a good idea if he is deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the full story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest."

"Really, Severus," said McGonagall sharply. "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence that Potter has done anything wrong."

Dumbledore was giving both Harry and Nina searching looks, as though peeling them back with his eyes in search for the truth. They gulped nervously, and finally Dumbledore spoke, "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus."

Snape looked furious, as did Filch.

"My cat has been petrified," Filch cried. "I want to see some _punishment!_"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus. Rest assured, both Professor Sprout and Professor Snape will be able to brew a draught using Mandrakes. Once they reach the adult stage, we can restore Mrs Norris back to her original state."

"I'll make it," Lockhart butted in. "I can make a Mandrake Restoration Draught in my sleep. Why, back in Madagascar—"

"Excuse me," Snape cut him off, his tone like ice. "But I believe _I_ am the Potions master in this school."

There was a deafening silence, and Dumbledore sent them off to their common rooms. As the four exited the office, Harry noticed Ron's eyes staring like daggers at Nina, who sheepishly looked away.

"Goodnight." she whispered, and she hurried toward the marble staircase.

"We should have told them," Ron said when she had gone from earshot and they began the perilous trek to Gryffindor tower.

"Told them _what?_ Ron, it's not like she Petrified Mrs Norris." Hermione said, though she herself sounded doubtful.

"Come on, Hermione. How long are you going to defend that dirty snake?" Ron said angrily. "She had all the opportunity to take out that blasted cat, and she took it."

"You have to admit that it's suspicious, Hermione." Harry said. "And she _didn't_ leave with Moaning Myrtle, remember?"

"Yeah, Peeves what throwing mouldy peanuts at her in the corner." Ron said.

Hermione pursed her lips and looked away. "Maybe we really should say something, then."

"We'll talk to McGonagall tomorrow." Harry vowed. "Let's just get to bed before Snape comes along and tries to frame us for something else."

* * *

The walk to the Slytherin dungeons was a long one for Nina.

Most of the ghosts from Nick's Deathday Party had left the chamber, and she found the ghost himself drifting in front of the entrance to the common room, sighing. Normally, she would have tried to alleviate him of his troubles—tell him that his 1000th Deathday Party would be even better—but tonight she didn't even bother. She hurried to the thin wall in a wide alcove in the corner of the dungeon and muttered, _"Blaguer-blood."_

The stone wall shifted and allowed her to pass through, and she entered the lagoon-like sitting room of the Slytherin common room. She half-expected to find Pucey and Who making out on the largest couch, but instead found a smirking, pale-faced Draco Malfoy. As she entered, he jumped up from the couch and hustled to the entrance of the girl's dormitory and blocked it, smirking. Nina sighed.

"What do you want, Draco?"

His eyes, red from staying up so late, glinted nonetheless with curiosity. "Why don't you have a seat with me, Brimstone?"

"Why don't you get out of the way before I hex you?" Nina suggested.

"Since when did you become so snippy?" he snarled.

"Since you started to annoy me," Nina told him darkly. "Now move your ass."

He raised his eyebrows, his smile disappearing. "Just one question, all right?"

"Fine, _just_ one," she answered, rubbing her eyes. She was cranky from a lack of sleep.

"Did you really hang that cat?"

"Predictable as ever, Draco," Nina said. "Goodnight."

He let her pass and she made her way up to the dormitory alone. When she was entered, she was greeted with Millicent's usual, throaty snore and the soft lapping of the lake water against the window by her bed. She undressed quickly and crawled into her bed in her underwear, resting her head in her pillow. She closed her eyes and tried to let herself drift away, but found that she couldn't. She cracked open her eyes, and found the Shadow Man—Sirius Black— standing beside her bed, watching her. She gazed sleepily up at him, and then closed her eyes again. She was beyond exhausted, and tomorrow was a Saturday. Maybe she'd get the chance to sleep in without being bothered by Pansy. She felt herself falling quickly into darkness, and she let it happen. She wouldn't give this slumber up for all the galleons in the world, anyway.

* * *

The common room was alight with vivid conversation that morning, both controversy and disagreements buzzing in the dank dungeon air. Nina had awoken earlier than she would have liked to, but had finally given up on falling back asleep after a terrible nightmare she had had at the break of dawn. The living area was surprisingly packed for a Saturday at 7:30 in the morning, and a sudden silence that had fallen over the students roared in Nina's ears as she stood at the bottom of the staircase, dozens of pairs of eyes staring at her expectantly.

"Erm… good morning." she said awkwardly.

"Is it true you're the heir of Slytherin?" a first-year boy suddenly piped up, and agreeing nods flushed throughout the rest of the Slytherins.

Nina sighed. "What on Earth has Malfoy been telling you?"

He was spread out on the couch next to Pansy Parkinson and her friends, a cold grin plastered on his bloodless face.

"So glad you decided to come down." he said.

Nina rolled her eyes and headed toward the common room's exit.

"Wait!" someone called, and Nina turned to find Nora Boone, the sly-looking Indian girl who she had met at the beginning of year.

"What?" Nina snapped.

Nora faltered, her bright eyes blinking curiously, and broke into a weak smile. "Can I join you at breakfast?"

"Do what you want." Nina replied coldly, and she set out for the Great Hall, her fellow Slytherin trailing behind her. She felt tired and alone, but mostly fearful of what the day would bring her. Surely people suspected her of Petrifying Mrs Norris, and she honestly wasn't sure of whether she had done it or not; she couldn't remember much of the previous night. She shivered at the thought of Harry Potter and his friends, who knew she hadn't left with Moaning Myrtle, and inwardly worried that they would take the information to a teacher. If they found out that she was lying, she would surely be expelled and killed for betraying Hogwarts. She stared accusingly at everyone who she passed on her way to the morning feast. They were all in on it, weren't they? They all wanted her dead. But she couldn't let the pressure get to her, or her life would surely be lost.

She glanced back at Nora, who was grinning stupidly at her as they sat down at the Slytherin table to eat. Immediately, her companion started piling food onto her plate and filling her goblet with juice. Nora stared at Nina oddly.

"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked.

Nina stared wearily at the jug of pumpkin juice that sat in front of her. Was it poisoned? Drugged? She pushed it away.

"I'm not hungry." she replied, ignoring her stomach shifting uncomfortably at the sight of the delicious food in her tummy.

Nora raised her eyebrows. "You didn't come to dinner last night, though. You must be famished. Here, I'll serve you—"

Nina snatched her plate away from Nora's grasp and drew her wand, pointing it at her face.

"Hey, what the hell is your problem?" Nora shouted, turning some heads in the hall.

"Don't touch me." Nina warned as she rose from the table. "I'm leaving."

Nora pursed her lips, concern sparkling in her bright eyes. Nina saw through it, though; it was a lie, an attempt at deception. She was cleverer than to believe it. Nora rose, too.

"Maybe you should go see Madame Pomfrey… I'll take you there." she offered kindly.

"Why?" Nina gritted her teeth, blinking away the tears that had suddenly sprung to her eyes. "So you can drug me? Sod off!"

"Nina…" Nora said slowly. "Nina, you're very sick. We can go to the hospital wing together, I won't leave you." She held out her hand. "Come on,"

Practically every eye near them was turned on them. Nina stood there, trembling, and then stomped out of the Great Hall. Nora didn't follow.

Unsure of where she was going, Nina ran blindly through the castle, deafening murmurs whispering in her ears.

**_"She killed Filch's cat… she's guilty, guilty!"_**

**_ "That Nina Brimstone is such a bitch, the way she talks to people is despicable."_**

**_ "Two faced little girl... she means nothing, even her mother doesn't love her."_**

**_ You mean nothing._**

Nina burst into a girl's washroom just down a flight of steps and locked herself in an unoccupied cubicle. She curled on top of the toilet seat, bringing her knees up to her chest, and began to sob uncontrollably. She was going to die, and there was nothing she could do.

**_But there_**** is****_ something you can do._** The Voice told her slyly.

"Liar!" Nina screamed into the emptiness. "You said it yourself, there's nothing I can do to stop it!"

**_All this pain and suffering… it's pathetic, honestly. It's so simple, really… the solution. All you have to do it eliminate the source._**

"S-source?" Nina sniffed.

**_Think for a second. Who's the one that made you suffer and sent Sirius Black to kill you? Who's the one that told you you were worthless and deserved to shrivel up and die?_**

Nina wiped her tears away and shakily got to her feet. She left the stall and made her way to one of the sinks with a mirror sitting overtop it. Peering at her reflection, she realized that she truly did look awful. Her eyes were hollow and rimmed with black from all her sleepless nights, not to mention swollen and red from her tears. Her hair was unwashed, greasy and stringy from not showering, and her uniform was dirty and stained. She turned away from it and left the bathroom, rubbing her eyes with her hands. A horrible, panging ache rang through her skull and she felt as though she might vomit. At the end of the hallway, she heard low murmurs and she immediately sank into the shadows.

Two identical, redheaded figures had appeared and were grinning and jostling each other. She squinted at them and watched as one of them walked up to a painting of a fruit bowl, finger outstretched, and tickled a plump, green pear in the center of the painting. The pear's giggle was audible, even from a distance, and the large painting immediately swung open. The twins hopped inside, and reappeared several minutes later, large pastries in hand. They snuck away, pastries hidden under their cloaks, and disappeared from sight.

_The kitchens,_ Nina concluded.

She swiftly made her way over to the painting, tickled the pear, and watched as it swung open, revealing an enormous room almost identical to the Great Hall, aside from the hundreds of house elves bustling about. She entered the kitchens and the house elves greeted her warmly, as if she were an old friend that hadn't visited in a while. She wandered around the room for a while, examining the kitchenware, before her eyes finally rested on a meat cleaver that was abandoned by a cutting board. She stared at it for a long while, and then finally grabbed it when no one was looking and stuffed it into her largest cloak pocket. She swiftly exited the kitchens without bidding any of the elves a goodbye and bolted down the hallway of the Hufflepuff dungeons, the cleaver bouncing softly in her robes.

In the girl's bathroom once again, Nina pulled the meat cleaver from her pocket and examined it, gently twirling it in her hands. It was heavy and razor sharp, possibly enchanted to be unbreakable. She gripped the handle and swung, slicing through the air. The silver blade gleamed in the flickering lighting in the bathroom. Nina grinned.

**_You know what you have to do._**

She stuffed the blade into her pocket once more and made for the Slytherin common room, unable to wipe the grin from her face.

Tonight, Pansy Parkinson would be a mere corpse, and she the saviour of sufferers everywhere.

* * *

**Phew! Done! This just might be my favourite chapter yet, thanks for sticking it through with me, everyone! I hope you're all looking forward to the next chapter, I know I am! :)**

**Reviews help out a lot, let me know what you think.**


	7. Rage, Manifested

**Here's another chapter, mostly from Nora Boone's POV. I've been pretty good about updating, yeah? And thanks for all the favourites and follows and reviews, they mean a lot to me. And bloody hell is it hot, or what?! I saw this picture on Reddit of this guy from Texas, and his shoes had melted from walking around in the sun all day! Global Warming, I'm telling you, it's hell. How hot is it where you are? I'm curious. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! It's all the action I've been promising for a few chapters now, I hope it was well worth the wait. And remember, review, review, review!**

* * *

By the late afternoon a fresh snow had begun to fall, both thoroughly exciting many of the students of Hogwarts and irking others.

"It'll be freezing in the common room tonight." Blaise Zabini was telling Nora Boone as he sat down with her in the Great Hall to eat lunch.

"It's always like that in the dungeons," Nora said absentmindedly, craning her neck to get a better look around the Slytherin table. "You haven't seen Nina, have you?"

"Who?" Blaise said as he opened the _Daily Prophet_ and began to read.

"_Very funny,"_

"She'll come around, I expect." Blaise replied, smirking. "Why are you so worried about her all of a sudden, anyway?"

Nora pursed her lips. "I should've gone after her…" she whispered.

"What? What did you say?"

"N-nothing," she said quickly. Turning her head around again, she spotted Pansy Parkinson and a few of her friends entering the Hall. She leapt out of her seat and called across the Great Hall, "Oi! Parkinson!"

A few dozen heads followed Nora as she bolted down the rows of tables towards Pansy, who had become very flushed under the other students' gazes.

"Do you mind keeping your voice _down_?" she scolded. "What is it?"

"Have you seen Nina by any chance?"

"_Her_?" She snorted. "Not since this morning, no,"

"Excuse me?" Nora said angrily. "Watch your tone when you're talking about my friend."

"Your friend?" Pansy snarled. "Since _when_? You've talked to her maybe twice in your entire life."

Nora stepped up to Pansy challengingly. She was older and at least a head and a half taller, and it was obvious that Pansy was intimidated by her. She took at step backward, her hand hovering over the pocket her wand was in. "I haven't seen her," she said honestly.

"Then get out of my sight, you little disease."

Pansy skulked away with her friends trailing nervously behind her, muttering as they took their places at the Slytherin table. As Nora turned a relatively deserted corner just outside of the Great Hall, furious and calculating, she crashed head-on into a rather short, bony figure.

"Ack!" she hollered, clutching her temple as she stumbled backward. "Watch it—Malfoy!"

The blonde, too, was on the floor and rubbing his temple, which no doubt ached from their collision. Behind him were the oafs Crabbe and Goyle, who were now looking rather stunned at Nora's sudden appearance. Just as Malfoy opened his mouth to snap at her, Nora pulled her wand from her pocket and aimed directly at Crabbe and Goyle.

_ "Rictusempra!"_

The two fell back and began to giggle uncontrollably, apparently too distracted by the tickling sensations that were spread out along their bodies to reach for their wands. Malfoy made a grab for his own, obviously bewildered by the turn of events, but Nora was too quick for him.

_"Expelliarmus!" _she hissed, and his wand flew out of his hand.

"Hey, what's your problem—" Malfoy shouted angrily. Nora swooped down over him and dragged him up by his collar.

"Get up," she ordered. She shoved him against the cold, stone wall of the hallway the moment he complied and pointed her wand to his throat menacingly.

"What're you—"

"SHH!" she hissed. "_I_ ask the questions. Where is Nina?"

"Wha—"

"_Where is she?"_

"I-I haven't seen her since this morning."

"Why the hell has she been acting this way lately?"

"How am I supposed to know?! Ever considered that maybe all girls are just insane?" Malfoy cried, his pale eyes bulging.

"Hey!" a not-so distant, rather pompous sounding voice suddenly piped up. "Drop your wands! Five points from Slytherin!"

"If you did anything to her, Malfoy, I swear on my mother's grave I'll have your head as a mantelpiece," she muttered dangerously as she stepped away from him and pocketed her wand.

As Malfoy massaged his neck, a red-clad Prefect trounced his way over to them. Malfoy snorted.

"Weasley," he drawled. "Why don't you go annoy someone else?"

Percy Weasley went slightly pink in his face as this comment, though he immediately puffed out his chest and stood over Malfoy with an air of superiority.

"I _happen_ to be in line for the title of Head Boy, Malfoy." He turned to Nora, annoyed. "And I'd expect better behaviour from an older—"

"Whatever," Nora cut in as she turned to walk away. "I'd rather not waste my time with you idiots."

"And another five points from Slytherin!" Percy cried to her retreating back, clearly dumbfounded that she had walked on him.

Nora searched the castle seemingly top-to-bottom that day in search for her deranged classmate, and at one point even considered consulting a professor, though thought against it. Nina was just tired and sick of being bullied by Parkinson was all; surely there wasn't anything deeper than that? Maybe she just wanted some time alone.

_"Maybe you should go see Madame Pomfrey… I'll take you there."_

_ "Why? So you can drug me? Sod off!"_

Nora shook her head until the voices faded. Was Nina joking, or was she sick in the head? Nora felt as though her head would split in two from her oncoming headache.

By the time dinner rolled around, Nora was famished from running all about the castle trying to find Nina, and with no such luck. As she took a seat at the Slytherin table, she kept her eyes on the entrance to the Great Hall. Nina hadn't eaten the Halloween feast the previous night, nor breakfast. As Nora was searching for her all afternoon, she hadn't come down for lunch, but she was willing to bet that Nina would come down nonetheless, practically starving. Sure enough, a tiny, black-haired figure slowly made its way to the Slytherin table and took a seat at the very end, alone. Nora didn't move next to her; she figured that Nina would benefit from some time to her thoughts, and she didn't fancy the idea of riling her up again in front of the entire school.

Dinner ended with the usual bustle and clattering of silverware and Nora tailed Nina at a distance as they left the Great Hall, not daring to take her eyes off her. As the Slytherins piled into the common room and lazily took seats around the fireplace, Nora noticed Nina ambling past the commotions and into the girls' dormitories.

"What's she going to bed for?" Nora muttered to herself as she checked her watch. "It's not even 8:00..."

"Talking to yourself, Boone?" It was Blaise's voice.

"I'm worried about that girl..." Nora said, wringing her hands together anxiously.

"Who?" Blaise questioned, his brows raising. "Brittleton?"

"It's _Brimstone_ and you know it!" Nora hissed. "And she... she just doesn't look very well to me."

"Yeah, I noticed." Blaise said. "She's paler than a ghost."

"And she keeps snapping at people. I mean, she..." Nora looked around nervously and lowered her voice. "She thought that I might have poisoned her drink today at breakfast."

"Is she mad or something?"

"I think she might be." Nora whispered. "I think... I think Madame Pomfrey should take a look at her, at the very least."

"It's late, though." Blaise said. "Maybe we should talk to Professor Snape, instead?"

Nora, usually flamboyant and action-oriented, was now twiddling her thumbs, unsure of what to do. Would Snape wave them away, as though their concerns were frivolous and common worries? It seemed like something he would do.

"Let's just... just let her try to sleep off whatever's troubling her." Nora suggested, biting her lip. "She's probably just stressed from homework and all this Chamber of Secrets stuff... right?"

Blaise shrugged. "Sure. But when I come to think of it, I haven't seen her working on anything recently." He added thoughtfully.

"Okay," Nora said. "If she's not doing well tomorrow, then we'll talk to Snape. All right?"

Blaise shrugged again, and Nora took this as a yes as he stalked away and joined Malfoy on the couch.

Nora was, to put it lightly, exhausted from running all over the castle today. She would have liked nothing more than to crawl under her emerald sheets in the third-years girls' dormitory and sleep for the next 12 hours, but she knew she couldn't. With a foreboding expression, she sat herself down on an unoccupied desk chair and got to work on her Charms homework.

* * *

"Coming to bed, Nora?" a fellow third-year asked her just past 11:15. Nora, who had been pouring over _Cumbersome Conjuring: Casting Better Charms _by Willow Kerr, looked up tearfully.

"Amanda, I can't get the Binding Charm right; the ropes come out of the wand, but they won't _bind_ the object, they always scurry away off the table."

"I'll help you with it in the morning," Amanda replied, yawning. "We've still got all of tomorrow to work on it, come on."

"I'll be up in a minute," Nora said, stretching. "I've got to pack up."

Amanda disappeared into the dormitories as Nora stood and began stuffing her text-and-notebooks into her book bag, which was already bulging from all of her other subjects.

"Damn, damn... get... _in_..." she murmured as she tried to slip her notes between her Potions and Transfiguration textbooks.

The common room was now completely deserted, and the distant rumbles and moans that came from the lake, which surrounded the dungeons, caused shivers to roll down Nora's spine. She glanced at a nearby window, which was now completely black from the obscuring night, and half expected the face of a merperson to pop up and scare the living daylights out of her, but no such thing occurred. She turned back to her book bag and suddenly, a distant scream flooded her ears. It was horrible and bloodcurdling, like a combination of a screeching violin and nails on a chalkboard; high pitched and terrible. There was a scuffling noise, and Nora turned back to the window, only to realize the noise was coming from behind her.

"MURDER!" someone screeched from the dormitories. "HELP—SOMEBODY HELP!"

There was the sound of a door slamming open and thundering footsteps. Suddenly, from the dormitory, a white-faced, uniform-clad figure burst out with sweat dripping down her face.

"N-Nina? What're you—" Nora stopped dead. Both of Nina's hands were holding something. In her right was her wand, and in her left was a razor-sharp, gleaming knife—no, it was much larger than a knife. A cleaver.

Nina didn't seem to notice Nora as she stood in the shadows, wild-eyed, and then bolted towards the enchanted stone wall. She pushed through it and disappeared into the distant corridor.

"Oh, shit..." Nora muttered, making a grab for her wand. Before she could leave, Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode hurled into the common room, and Nora took note of the fact that Millicent was holding a dishevelled Pansy, who was paler than she had ever seen her. "Sh-she w-was going to..." Pansy sobbed, taking great gulps of air. "...k-k-kill me!"

"Who?" Bulstrode asked. "Who was going to kill you? With their wand?"

"N-no!" Pansy shrieked as more Slytherins poured into the common room from behind her.

"Oi, what's going on?" asked a seventh-year, his hair tousled and glasses askew. "Can't a guy get any sleep around here?"

"What happened?" asked another student, her face stricken with worry at the sight of Pansy.

"She had a nightmare," Bulstrode explained.

"N-NO!" Pansy repeated loudly. "IT-IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE! SHE WAS GOING TO K-KILL ME!"

"Who?!"

"THAT GIRL! THAT—THAT..." Pansy seemed to struggle to speak in her terrified state. "NINA B-BRIMSTONE! WITH A KNIFE!"

"Nina Brimstone!" Adrian Pucey stepped out of the gathering crowd, outraged. "You're mad, Parkinson, she wouldn't hurt a fly!"

Suddenly, a second-year girl came rushing from her dormitory, her eyes wide. "She's gone! Brimstone's not in her bed!" she cried.

Silence fell among the Slytherins as they gazed in shock at the news. Most of them hadn't even heard of Nina before, let alone thought of her as a murderer. Without delaying any longer, Nora rushed out of the common room and out of the Slytherin dungeons, leaving behind the hysterical and bemused crowd behind her.

The Entrance Hall was eerily quiet and deadened as Nora rushed through it, hastily whispering, "Nina, Nina where are you? Nina, it's Nora! Come out!"

She was replied with silence and the quickening pacing of her own heartbeat. She was sick with worry at the very thought of what could have happened to Nina. Surely... surely, she wouldn't make the ultimate sacrifice to avoid punishment, would she? Nora shook away the thought; Nina was braver than any Gryffindor she knew, with a heart of gold no Hufflepuff could ever dream of competing with, she just knew it. There must have been some kind of mistake, there just _must_ have been...

She flew down the steps again and searched the dungeon, and spotted Severus Snape whisking down the hallway, his bed cloak wrapped around him, as he made his way to the Slytherin common room, obvious roused from the noise. Nora snuck behind him and spotted the Bloody Baron, who was drifting alongside a dungeon wall absentmindedly.

"Mr Baron!" Nora whispered, running up to him. "Mr Baron, have you seen a girl? About yay high, black hair, holding a... a knife?"

The Baron stared down at Nora for a moment, considering her, and frowned at her.

"Friend or foe?" he asked her.

"I'm her friend." Nora said quickly. "I'm her very dear, dear friend and I'm worried about her. Please, Mr Baron."

"Oh, very well." he said dismissively. "I'm not one for riddles. I saw her run upstairs, into the Entrance Hall."

"B-but I was just up there!" Nora said. "Oh, no... where could she have gone? Maybe... maybe into the Hufflepuff dungeons, or the—?"

"She has told me," the Bloody Baron interrupted sternly. "That she has a great love for beasts—she wants to work with dragons someday, apparently. I find them ghastly, myself, horribly dangerous..."

"So?" Nora snapped, annoyed.

"_So_," the Baron replied sassily. "I'd bet all my money on her joining her beastly friends... _fiends_, if you ask me, but she's as fond of them as that oaf gamekeeper is—"

"Not the Dark Forest?" Nora gasped. "Oh no... she'll die in there!"

The Baron opened his mouth to reply, but Nora never heard it. She was back in the Entrance Hall in a matter of seconds, panting wildly and running for the door. She forced it open and slipped into the freezing night air, her wand in hand. Ahead of her, she heard more scuffling and shouts, though she couldn't decipher what they were saying. She bolted forth, past the courtyard, and stopped short at the wooden bridge, which led to the Hogwarts grounds.

"Another fifteen points from Slytherin!" a male voice shouted, and Nora thought she recognized it from earlier that day.

"_Out of my way!"_ a hoarse, cold voice screeched, and Nora shuddered as she realized it was Nina.

_Okay,_ she thought. _Here's the plan: we sneak up behind her, disarm her of her weapons, and... and use the _Petrificus Totalus _spell... and then... and then we can take her to Madame Pomfrey, and explain to Snape what happened, and—_

Her plan never went into action. There was a swipe in the air and a male shout—whoever had just been talking to Nina collapsed to the ground and appeared to be screaming. Nora, unable to remain a sitting duck any longer, ran swiftly to the entrance of the wooden bridge and watched as Nina, cleaver still in hand, sprinted away, laughing and shouting, "I got them! I made it! I won!"

Rushing forward, Nora found that the male voice had belonged to Percy Weasley, who must have been patrolling the courtyard when he came across Nina. He was crumpled onto the wooden flooring, his face screwed in pain and his hand clutching his left shoulder, which was bleeding profusely.

"Oh—oh no!" Nora collapsed to her knees, unable to leave him in his state without helping. "Are you okay?"

"Ah—" Percy moaned. "She—was—aiming—at—my—neck..." he trailed off, and his face paled.

"Don't vomit, now," Nora said quickly, ripping off the hem of her cloak and attempting to tie it around Percy's arm. "Stop—squirming—"

But Percy was howling in pain as Nora tied a firm knot in the make-shift bandaging. "We'll get you to the hospital wing and Pomfrey will fix you up, okay? I don't want to try any magic on you," she added. "Can you stand?"

"Where is she?" Percy moaned as he stared around, looking for a figure that had now long disappeared from his line of sight. "Where did she—AH!"

"Oh, Nina..." Nora whispered, gazing into the night. She was so terrified to following, and at the same time, she did not want anyone to hurt her. But why had she done this? Why had she tried to slit Pansy's throat? She wasn't normally like this, so what brought it upon her?

Just then, Snape appeared from behind her, and his dark eyes flashed dangerously at the sight of Percy.

"Where is Miss Brimstone?"

"The... the Dark Forest," Nora whispered, tears rolling down her face. "She ran off... laughing."

"Miss Boone," Snape continued as he knelt down to Percy's side and removed her bandages with his wand. "Run into the castle and inform the nearest portrait or ghost you can find of what happened. Make sure the message reaches Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore." He muttered and incantation and the blood Percy was losing at an alarming rate slowed immediately. "And get someone to fetch Madame Pomfrey," He stood and whisked away, his retreating figure disappearing into the blackness.

Without wasting any time, Nora bolted through the castle doors and into the unoccupied Entrance Hall. Well—perhaps not _completely_ unoccupied.

"Ahhh, lookey here, it's Booney the Looney!" Peeves, who was hanging from a large chandelier on the ceiling, floated down to Nora's height. "Going for a midnight stroll? Mind if I go fetch Filchy-kins, hmm?"

"Oh, no, you won't do," Nora muttered as she ran by him.

"Hey, where're you going, Looney? Looney Booney, Looney Booney!" he called after her, and she ducked to avoid a dung bomb that narrowly missed her head.

"_Peeves!_" a deep, ghostly voice boomed throughout the Entrance Hall, and Nora whirled around just as the terrible, bloodstained, silvery form of the Bloody Baron emitted from the far wall, and Peeves stopped dead. If he had any, Nora was sure that the blood would have drained from his face.

"Y-Your Ghostship!" Peeves croaked, bowing to the approaching Baron. "M-my apologies for being in your way, sir, I hadn't known that—that you'd be wanting to spend your night here; and what a fine night it is!"

"Go and haunt a broom cupboard somewhere," the Baron said irritably, and Peeves wailed; whether it be in false excitement or terror, Nora wasn't entirely sure.

"It would be my pleasure, sir! It's the perfect night for it—" He laughed nervously as he floated into the backwards wall and disappeared into the stone.

"Sir!" Nora stepped forward. "Sir, it's urgent—she's really gone into the Black Forest! Someone needs to inform—"

"I have already roused Dumbledore," the Baron said importantly. "He's gone to fetch Madame Pomfrey and the other members of the staff."

"Including McGonagall?"

"She is the Deputy Headmistress, so yes, he probably has."

Just then, a thundering of footsteps emitted from the marble staircase, and Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Madame Pomfrey appeared at the foot of the steps.

"Miss Boone," McGonagall said sharply. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I was sent to inform you all by Professor Snape—" Nora said quickly. "It's Nina, she's run off into the grounds, and that Weasley Prefect is hurt—"

"How was he hurt?" Dumbledore questioned as Madame Pomfrey rushed forward, her wand guiding a stretcher as she and McGonagall bolted through the entrance to the grounds.

"She—she had a cleaver," Nora whispered shakily, trying to blink away the tears that had sprung to her eyes. "She isn't like this, really, Professor. She's a g-good girl! P-please believe me!"

"I do." Professor Dumbledore said firmly. "We will speak more in the morning—please stay in your common room for the rest of the night."

"Bring her back, Professor!" she said as he made for the door. "Please bring her back."

"I will." he promised, and then he disappeared, his silver bed cloak the last to whip out of sight.

The Bloody Baron, Nora noticed, had left at some point in the conversation, and she truly was alone. The hiccoughed slightly, choking back her tears as best she could, and left the deafening silence behind her.

* * *

**This chapter was a lot of fun to write, I hope ya'll don't mind the change of POV. The next chapter will be up soon. Reviews are welcome!**


	8. Lost and Found

**This is one hell of a long chapter, but it's one I'm definitely proud of. There are a lot of change of viewpoints in the chapter, and I hope it's not too confusing, as it's mainly between Nora and Nina. There's also some Fred and George at the end of the chapter, look forward to it!**

**There's not much else to say. Without further ado, I present the latest chapter of ****_Suddenly_****. Reviews are welcome.**

* * *

Little was talked about the following day that didn't concern the Petrifaction of Mrs Norris and the disappearance of the insane, escaped Slytherin girl who no one had heard of before.

"But wasn't she that girl next to Harry Potter and his friends when they found Mrs Norris?" a Hufflepuff third-year whispered to her friend in Herbology.

"She was, Beatrice," her friend, Cecilia Wicker, replied smarmily as she shoved a mangoroot plant into its according pot. "I'd bet anything that she had something to do with that writing on the wall. Apparently, she was on the scene before Potter and his friends."

Beatrice bit her lip nervously. "So then… she must be the Heir of—"

"If you think Nina's the Heir of Slytherin," a loud voice boomed through the greenhouse, shuddering the glass windows behind their backs. "Then you're in for a huge disappointment."

Ignoring the dozens of heads that twisted round to investigate the source of the noise, Cecilia grinned. "Ah, Boone," she said coolly, flipping a wave of her thick, golden curls over her shoulder. "It's rather refreshing to see a Slytherin stand up for someone else. Then again, your lot _would_ haveto defend their little queen, wouldn't they?"

Nora's gaze didn't falter as she stared back at Cecilia, seething. "I'd expect nothing less out of you, you old munter."

Cecilia looked taken aback. Though her cool smile returned, the glint in her eyes was much less bright. "Sneer all you want, you rude little girl," She turned back to her mangoroot, which was now sprouting rather large boils. "It doesn't change the fact that your little friend will be dead before dinner."

Resisting the urge to hex her turned back, Nora returned to her mangoroot plant, her thoughts whirling. It was already past 9:00 in the morning, and she hadn't been summoned by any teachers. She was getting anxious, and had suddenly taken up biting her nails to alleviate her of her worries.

Finally, in the middle of History of Magic (a lesson she didn't at all mind skipping), she was summoned to the Headmaster's office by the Headmistress, Professor McGonagall. As Nora packed up her belongings and left the classroom, the other students' gazes curiously following her out, McGonagall ushered her down the corridor towards the marble staircase.

"Erm—Professor? Have you found Nina, by chance?" Nora asked tentatively.

"Professor Dumbledore will discuss the matter with you," she said shortly, and the remainder of their walk was in silence. When they reached the third floor landing, they went down a corridor Nora had never traversed down. At the very end of the passageway were two stone gargoyles that appeared to be guarding a stone stairwell.

"Sherbert lemon," McGonagall said, and the gargoyles stepped aside, allowing the two of them to climb the stairwell that led to Dumbledore's office.

Nora nearly let a gasp slip out of her mouth the moment the large doors of his office opened. It was a massive, circular room. Odd twinkling trinkets and bits-n-bobs were littered about on rows of oak tables, and portraits of all of Hogwarts' past Headmasters-and-mistresses hung in clumsy rows along the walls. In the center of the room were four people who had been provided with chairs, and standing next to Dumbledore's desk—in the shadows—was Severus Snape.

"Miss Boone, so glad you could come," Dumbledore smiled genuinely, his blue eyes twinkling over the rims of his half-moon spectacles. "Come have a seat—ah, just give me one moment—"

With a flick of his wand, a velvety, comfortable looking chair arrived in the spot next to Hermione Granger with a small _pop_.

"Thank you, sir." Nora said quietly as she took her seat. There was a moment of silence, and then—

"Have you caught her yet?" Pansy demanded. "You're going to expel her, of course, Headmaster?"

"I cannot expel someone who is presently not within the grounds, Miss Parkinson." Dumbledore said patiently.

"But you'll be able to get her back, won't you?" Hermione asked concernedly.

"We will do everything in our power to retrieve her," Dumbledore told her gently. "I have asked Hagrid to collect her from the Dark Forest,"

Nora gave a small shudder as her stomach twisted with dread. Surely not even Hagrid could survive a night in that forest? Alone? In the snow?

"We will be able to find her," Dumbledore assured, as though he was reading Nora's mind. "But first, there are some objects of interest we must go over.

"Harry," Dumbledore turned to Harry, whose cheeks were slightly pink from being the only one on a first-name basis with the Headmaster. "You do, of course, remember the night you, Mr Weasley, and Miss Granger came across the Petrified Mrs Norris?"

"Yes, sir,"

"Professor McGonagall has told me that you three went to speak with her yesterday afternoon. It seemed that you were under the impression that she had Petrified Mrs Norris?"

"Yes, sir," Hermione said. "Like we said—she never left the Deathday Party _with_ Moaning Myrtle—"

"—yeah, Peeves was throwing peanuts at her," Ron butted in.

"—and she was in some kind of… of _trance_, Professor," Hermione continued, annoyed. "She didn't look well at all. She was very, very pale… like she hadn't slept in days."

"When we arrived on the scene—as we were heading to bed—" Harry added quickly, nervously eyeing Snape. "She was just… sort of… standing there, just _watching_ it."

"So she's done it, then?" McGonagall whispered. "A second-year who has never gotten into trouble in all her life?"

Dumbledore didn't reply to her. He turned to Pansy Parkinson, who had been surprisingly quiet during the past few minutes, and she sat up and threw her nose into the air importantly.

"What happened the night of the attack, Miss Parkinson?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

Pansy, who had been in dramatized tears for the last twelve hours, stifled a fake sob and wiped her dry eyes, "Well, Professor, as you would imagine, I was falling asleep. I was at the point where I wasn't quite _there_ yet, you know? And—and anyway, I just got this peculiar feeling of a presence next to me. I heard this… this breathing, and then—" She let out a dramatic gasp as her face fell into her cupped hands. "OH, it was just _awful!_ My fellow Slytherin, hovering over me like that… with a knife! I screamed, and then she ran, it was as quick as that. But, _oh,_ the trauma—!"

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson," McGonagall cut in. "Can you imagine _why_ Miss Brimstone might have been considering attacking you?"

"N-n-no!" Pansy wailed. "Sh-she's _always_ been like this, she—"

"You little liar!" Nora snarled, jumping out of her seat and causing surprise to flush into everyone's faces.

"Miss Boone—" Snape started in a dangerous voice.

"She's lying!" Nora yelled, pointing accusingly at Pansy. "You've tortured that poor girl every day for last year and you know it! Calling her ugly, lousy, worthless, undesirable, illegitimate, a whore, a tart," Nora counted on her hand. "Need I go on? I'm running out of fingers here, Parkinson!"

"Miss Boone, _sit down!_" Snape ordered, but Nora refused to settle.

"_You_ weren't the one who was almost sliced to pieces!" Pansy cried defensively as she, too, rose up from her seat.

"_Sliced to pieces?_" Nora laughed cruelly. "She'd be doing the whole school a favour!"

"SILENCE," Dumbledore roared, and the quarrelling girls fell silent. "Please take your seats,"

They obliged without hesitation, and Dumbledore leaned forward, the tip of his long nose an inch from his knitted fingers. "I will not tolerate any further accusations against _anybody_," he said quietly. "Do I make myself clear?"

Both Nora and Pansy looked uncannily similar to puppies that had just wet their master's carpet. They nodded in unison, and the tension in the room settled.

"Miss Boone," Dumbledore turned to her, and she paled under his sharp gaze. "Miss Parkinson says you were in the common room when the incident occurred?"

"Y-yes, sir! I was finishing up my Charms homework—" McGonagall tutted disapprovingly. "—when I heard Parkinson scream. I stood in the shadows, and then Nina burst out of the dormitories with this cleaver in her hand. She looked around a little bit, but she mustn't have seen me, because the next second she had run out."

"And you followed her?"

"That's right, Professor. I—I took a gamble and went out into the courtyard, and there was yelling ahead of me. When I arrived at the bridge, Weasley was on the floor, and Nina was already at the other end, laughing and screaming.

Nora pursed her lips as Dumbledore examined her, and she hoped that he hadn't noticed that she had bent the truth slightly. Finally, he nodded approvingly, and Nora let out a sigh of relief.

"Is my brother going to be all right?" Ron said suddenly.

"He'll be fine, Weasley." McGonagall answered, placing her hands on Ron's shoulders. "Madame Pomfrey said she can heal it without leaving so much as a scar."

Ron relaxed slightly. Dumbledore bid them farewell, and the next minute they were standing awkwardly together just outside his office, shuffling their feet.

"C'mon, guys," Harry muttered to Ron and Hermione, and they disappeared at the end of the corridor. Without so much as a word to Pansy, Nora whisked herself away to her next class, and begrudgingly took on the rest of the day.

* * *

Pansy Parkinson had no issue with yelling to the high heavens about her "Slytherin sorrows" (as she liked to call them), and people by the dozen were swimming over to their table at dinner, eager to hear Parkinson's tale.

"… luckily I was just pretending to be asleep, I knew all about her plans from the beginning. She heaved the machete above her head, ready to swing down on me, but I hexed her right in her face! Tentacles sprout out all over her face—that's why she's hiding in the forest, see? She doesn't want anyone to her ugly face—but it's not like I did much damage in the first place. But she was mad from the beginning, anyway…"

"It's little twats like that who give us a bad name," Adrian Pucey said angrily, repeatedly stabbing his baked potato with his fork.

"God, I just hope she's okay," Ginger whispered. She hadn't taken a bite of her pickle and tuna fish sandwich all evening. "It's below freezing and it's been almost 24 hours…" she trailed off, unsuccessfully trying to blink away the tears that sparkled in her dark eyes. "I just… I just wish I could have s-said _something_ to make her feel less… less… alone,"

"There—there wasn't anything you could do, Gingy." Pucey said lovingly as he wrapped an arm around her.

"B-but there was!" she wailed. "I should have asked h-her how she was—"

"I'll take her to the common room," Nora offered, standing and guiding Ginger out of her seat. "Come on, love, let's go and get some rest."

Ginger, who Nora originally took to be a rather confident and independent young woman, was now hiccoughing and sobbing like a small child that was out of control. With a flick of her wand, Nora conjured a box of tissues and handed them to her.

"Thank you," Ginger sniffed and she mopped up her tears. "I d-dunno what I'm doing, crying won't solve a-anything."

"Dumbledore won't let her die out there, Ginger. Just hang in there; she'll be back in no time." Nora said reassuringly as they entered the common room and took seats by the crackling fire.

"I dunno…" Ginger said, blowing her nose. "That Rubeus Hagrid seems untrustworthy, if you ask me…"

"Trust me, Ginger, if it's Dumbledore's orders then that oaf will go tripping over his own fat legs to please him." Nora replied, leaning back into the couch. "He'll bring her back to us, and then we can make up for whatever we did wrong, okay?"

"Okay." Ginger cracked a small smile, and Nora felt rather odd that she had just comforted a girl four years to her senior.

"Come up to my dorm," Nora suggested happily. "I've got enough Honeyduke's chocolate to satisfy an army of pregnant women up in my trunk,"

The blonde rose one of her brows.

"Do you have Caramel Cockroaches?"

"Eugh, no!" Nora wrinkled her nose in disgust. "You eat those? They're something my _granny _asks for every Christmas."

"Humph," Ginger crossed her arms and stuck her nose into the air. "_I _like them."

"C'mon," Nora rolled her eyes and pulled Ginger up off of the couch. "We'll find something to even your level of satisfaction."

* * *

The pale moonlight glinted sharply off of the soft sheets of snow that blanketed the floor of the Dark Forest. Strung across the crooked, rotten branches was a fine white lace, held steady by the newly welcomed winter chill. The sleepy trees creaked and moaned in the bitterly cold breeze, and the inky, jet-black sky stretched from horizon-to-horizon, shrouding everything—and everyone— in darkness. A shadowy figure was moving slowly into the forest, each of its weightless steps taking it deeper, deeper, deeper into hell. Nina was vaguely aware of its presence, though she did not take unkindly to it. Its raspy, ragged breathing was oddly comforting to her. She was suddenly fully aware of where she was, though she could not recall how she had gotten there. She continued to amble through the woods, shivering from the cold; the strange creature was nearby, there was no doubt out that.

She then found herself standing alone in the deepest depths of the Forbidden Forest, now looking over a partially frozen lake. She peered over the gurgling water's edge and immediately trounced backward with a gasp. In the lake, looking back at her, was what appeared to be a water demon. She crept forward again, and met the creature's glassy, black eyes. Fear pulsing through her, she leaned forward to examine it further, though she half expected the demon to reach out and pull her into the water. It didn't. It just continued to gaze at her with an empty, glazed-over expression. Everything about it was hideous. Its hair resembled rusted, black wire, and its complexion was as pale as a corpse's. Nina blinked. The demon mirrored her.

Horrified, Nina stumbled backward with a scream, and suddenly became aware of a wooden handle that was clutched in her left hand. Glancing downward, she found that she was clutching a rather large handle that was glazed over with a layer of her sweat.

**_You realize now, don't you?_**

Hesitating slightly, Nina gazed into the shining blade of the cleaver, confirming her gut suspicions. She watched as the ghastly creature within the glistening blade began to sob uncontrollably, simultaneously with her.

**_You wanted this, didn't you?_**

_I never wanted _this_…_, she thought. _Not this, _not this…

_"Look at it cry!"_ Pansy's shrieking voice throbbed inside of her head. _"Isn't it disgusting?"_

_"Stop feeling sorry for yourself,"_ snapped her mother. _"Nobody _cares_, darling, you know that, right?"_

"I'm s-sorry!" Nina moaned, dropping the cleaver and weeping into her mud-caked hands. "I—I—"

**_YOU WANTED THIS,_** the Voice repeated.

Nina shook and wept more than she ever had now, the voices overwhelming her at an alarming rate. She was cold, and she ached at the thought of living. She just wanted to disappear—to close her eyes and never wake up. It was such a tempting thought, and with a blade at her side, she knew that the possibility of death was just at her fingertips. The forest spun and swirled before her eyes, and the trees and lake started to fade away.

"I'm… sorry…" Nina rasped. Her voice, too, was leaving her. "S-sor…ry…"

_Stupid._

_ Pathetic._

_ Undesirable._

_ Worthless._

_**YOU DESERVE THIS.**_

Everything melted away swiftly, and Nina was greeted by the darkest, and most welcoming, of cold abysses.

* * *

It was two of the longest—and most depressing—days of Nora's short life. Even with Pansy Parkinson's cruel ramblings about the day Nina Brimstone attacked her, the majority of Slytherin house was absolutely sickened with worry. Nina was, after all, one of their own; someone who should have been protected. Instead, they let her fester by herself, and they hated themselves for it. The seniors, perhaps more than anybody else, took it the worst.

Ginger Who, who had become ravenous and consumed most of Nora's Honeyduke's chocolate within the span of thirty minutes, often came back from the bathroom red-eyed and blotchy. Adrian Pucey, along with the rest of the house Quidditch team, were in a constant crestfallen state, and had even slowed in their efforts of bullying the Gryffindors. Even Draco Malfoy's usual antagonistic self seemed to be much more dejected than before. It wasn't so much out of pity that Nina had gone mad as it was insecurity—Crabbe and Goyle had practically relinquished themselves as Malfoy's bodyguards and spent most of their day sitting on the couch in the common room, bingeing uncontrollably on desserts they had brought from the Great Hall.

"They're sensitive blokes, believe it or not," Millicent Bulstrode was telling Nora in a hushed whisper as they watched them down frosted cupcakes by the handful. "Nina was one of the only girls that was nice to them, see? I reckon they just don't feel up to complying with any of Draco's demands at the moment."

Now devoid of his usual swagger, Malfoy spent most hours of the day threatening any gossiping students who he came across in hopes of cheering Crabbe and Goyle up. He was, to put it lightly, unsuccessful.

"I've never seen the Slytherins so… _dejected_," Nora heard George Weasley telling his twin the afternoon of the second day as they leisured together in the bustling corridor in front of Nora.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Fred replied. "But it's actually depressing me."

"It's almost… pathetic," George said sadly as they passed a group of Slytherin girls who were hugging each other comfortingly. "They haven't even found this Brimstone girl yet and they're all acting like it's the day of her funeral."

"It just might be," said Fred quietly, and they dispersed from the corridor together.

As classes ended that day, Nora lingered in the hallways, unable to bring herself to keep up with the hustle and bustle of the rest of the castle. She took a seat on a bench in the corridor of the fourth floor and sat by herself for a good half hour, blankly staring at a tapestry opposite her as the Hogwarts crowds passed her by without so much as a second glance at her.

"Hey, Nora," came a drawling voice somewhere to her left.

"Hullo, Blaise," Nora said without looking up.

He took a seat next to her, sighing. "Marcus Flint and Adrian Pucey just went and hexed Pansy in the Great Hall. It was an awesome sight, don't get me wrong; she's finally learned to hold her tongue. But then," He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I still couldn't eat. It's not like cursing Parkinson will bring her back."

"Mm," Nora mumbled. Then, "I miss her."

"Yeah," Blaise muttered hoarsely. "We all do."

Then, he did something Nora hadn't been expecting: he wrapped an arm around her. It was slightly awkward, with her being so tall and him so short and having to angle his arm upwards to around her shoulder, but she appreciated it nonetheless.

"Nora," said Blaise. "Why do you care about her so much? I mean, Pansy _did_ have a point. She—I mean, you've only really talked to her a few times."

Nora shook him off suddenly, annoyed. "What?" she asked accusingly. "I'm not allowed to care about someone just because we've only talked a few times?"

"No," Blaise replied, unafraid of her sudden change of tone. "It's just odd, is all."

"Why do you have to be so direct?" she snapped, shifting her body away from him.

"Why do _you_ have to be so stubborn?" Blaise replied coolly. "It was just a question, no need to be so defensive over nothing."

"It's _not_ '_nothing'_," Nora stood up angrily, blinking away the frustrated tears that flooded her eyes. "It's my friend who has gone _missing_, Blaise. My friend who I—" She choked suddenly and turned away from him.

"You feel guilty, don't you?" Blaise said under his breath, now rising as well. "You feel guilty because you never had the courage to stand up to Pansy before went missing, isn't that right?"

Despite her tears, Nora opened her mouth and whirled around, a snappy remark just at the end of her tongue, when she was suddenly interrupted with the sound of shouts and swift footsteps.

At the end of the once-empty corridor, a mass of bodies had burst through the doors and were rushing towards them. Peering with her now bleary eyes, Nora watched as Professors Snape, McGonagall, and Hagrid hurtled towards them with the speed of a flying bullet; Nora noticed that, within his large arms, Hagrid was carrying a limp, pale figure.

"_NINA!_" Nora cried, rushing towards them and leaving a dumbfounded Blaise behind her.

"Miss Boone, go to your common room," McGonagall hissed.

"Nina, oh my God, is she alive? Professor, please—" Nora howled, struggling to keep up with Hagrid's large strides.

"The common room, Miss Boone," Snape snapped, but she continued to trail behind them, eavesdropping.

"She was in a righ' state, professors," Hagrid was saying gruffly. "Sack o' bones, she was; cold as ice! Found 'er mutterin' some nonsense deep in, she went an' blacked out in my arms halfway back ter the castle—been in an' out of consciousness ever since,"

"She's still alive," McGonagall said quickly as they turned a corner and raced towards the hospital wing. "But time is of the essence, Hagrid. We need to be quick or she won't last—"

Madame Pomfrey was waiting for them in front of the hospital wing doors, ushering them towards her.

"Quickly, now," she said shortly. "I've set up a bed for her, come on—"

As the adults flooded into the hospital wing, Nora lingered outside of the door, only for Snape to slam it in her face impatiently.

"Nora!" Blaise panted, and Nora turned to find him behind her; he seemed to have been struggling to keep up with her. "Is she—?"

"Alive," Nora said. "But barely—come on,"

She scurried down the corridor and marble staircase with Blaise at her heels, feverishly trying to stay within a range of her in which she was still visible. Through the busy Entrance Hall and into the dank, dark depths of the cool dungeons they went, stopping only when they reached the passage that led to the Slytherin common room.

"_Pureblood!_" Nora cried, and she entered the depressing room with great energy. Dozens of heads turned as she and Blaise entered, their newfound fortitude both shocking and refreshing to the rest of their house. Nora sucked in a great gulp of air and roared, "SHE'S BACK—SHE'S ALIVE!"

There was a massive rush of bodies that swam towards Nora, questions and qualms raining down on her in one constant, continuous flow.

"QUIET!" screamed the voice of Ginger, who had pushed her way to the front of the crowd and had now joined Nora. "Listen to the lady, won't you?"

"She isn't dead!" Nora hollered. "That bloke Hagrid brought her in this afternoon—Blaise and I saw him and Professors Snape and McGonagall barrel into the hospital wing."

"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go!" a fifth-year boy suggested.

"Don't be stupid!" Marcus Flint snapped, smacking him over the head. "Pomfrey ain't letting all of Slytherin house into the hospital wing any time soon,"

"What if she doesn't make it through the night?" came the voice of a fourth-year girl.

"She will." Nora said. "I just know she will."

There was another wave of mutters among the crowd, and suddenly Snape burst into the room from behind Nora and Blaise. He looked a great deal paler than usual—which was saying something.

"Sit—down," he said quietly to Nora, his black eyes glittering.

Her face flushing slightly, Nora straightened up and marched to the other side of the room, Blaise and Ginger following closely. They took seats on the large couch by the fireplace next to Crabbe and Goyle, and the rest of the Slytherins settled around them, watching Snape with the intensity of the simmering summer sun.

"As I am sure you all know," Snape began slowly. "Nina Brimstone was found in the Forbidden Forest this morning—alive."

Obvious sounds of relief swayed the Slytherins and excited mutters spread like a virus throughout the common room. It was only when Snape held up one of his hands that the whispers hushed back into silence.

"However," he continued. "She is in a critical state and is not to be disturbed by _anyone_—" His eyes rested on Nora momentarily. "—even her closest of friends, until she is well enough to be visited."

"But Professor," Ginger began eagerly. "When will that be?"

"She may be alive now, Miss Who, but that doesn't mean she will be in the morning—right now her life rests in our hands, and there is no telling which way it will go tonight."

"So… so it's all up to fate, then?" Adrian Pucey said hesitantly.

"No," Snape replied. "It's up to her will to live."

With one final glance at his students, Snape left the common room, his black cloak flitting at his heels.

* * *

A very white, faraway ceiling wafted in and out of Nina's vision for what felt like an eternity, and voices swam into one ear and out the other, their words incoherent and babbling. She was asleep for a very long time, and every time she felt as though she was about to awaken from her slumber, she fell right back into ambiguity again. Finally, after days of numbness, Nina felt a panging ache throughout her entire body, though she recognized the fact that she was a lot less grimy and dirty than she had been before. Her eyes now open, she realized she was in the hospital wing, and spent a few moments trying to figure out how she had gotten there. Had there been some kind of Potions accident that rendered her unconscious? Had she fallen down the stairs, or collided head-on with another student? She couldn't quite recall.

"Glad to see that you're awake,"

Sitting on a stool to her right was Dumbledore, who had appeared to have been reading a children's book titled _Gambling with Gargoyles: the Ghostly Tale of Gregory Gately._

"I do like book titles with a good amount of alliteration," he said, closing the book and setting it on the night table next to Nina's bed.

"Professor—? Ah!" Nina had tried to sit up, only to be faced with a terrible pain that racked her head.

"Best to do it slowly," Dumbledore said as he gently helped her into a sitting position. "And also, best to only do what you're capable of—Madame Pomfrey will have my hide if I've bothered you while you are still unwell."

"I feel—fine—Professor—" Nina gasped. "I just… I just need a moment."

"Of course," Dumbledore said. "I must say, you are doing a great deal better than you were when you first arrived. I see the colour has returned to your cheeks."

"Professor?" Nina asked once her headache cleared somewhat. "Professor, what happened? How did I—?"

"It is easier to forget, I imagine. It must be painful to remember," he said sadly. "But you must understand, Miss Brimstone, that remembering and forgiving is the first step in moving forward and truly forgetting."

She ruffled her brows, struggling to recall, when suddenly it all came flooding back to her. The trees, the darkness, the hatred, the blood. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

"N-no…" she yelped, clutching her throat. "I—I killed Pansy!"

"Not quite," Dumbledore said gently, easing her hands away from her neck. "But you certainly gave her a fright."

"N-N-NO!" she cried. "I don't—deserve—"

"Nina," Dumbledore said seriously. "Even if it pains you, you must face it."

"You're going to expel me, aren't you, Headmaster?" Nina wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I—I need to say goodbye first, please—"

"I am _not_ going to expel you," Dumbledore said patiently. "I'm going to help you, I promise you,"

Nina sniffed and shook her head, her lips trembling fiercely.

"You _do_ deserve it, Nina." he said. "Whether you believe it or not, the truth is that you have hurt no one but yourself."

"But s-sir," Nina whispered tearfully. "Why not hurt myself? N-nobody _cares_, even my own mother—"

"Your house has remained loyal to you," Dumbledore said, smiling. He gestured to the end of her bed and Nina gasped, almost bopping herself on the head for not taking notice of it before. Set up on the table was an enormous pile of sweets, wrapped gifts, and cards, all of which were addressed to her from her housemates, even people who she had never met before.

"Yes," Dumbledore said when he was her flabbergasted expression. "Slytherins are known to protect their own, you know. They have an uncanny loyalty to their friends—a Hufflepuff trait, too. Then again, it may just be human compassion."

But Nina didn't reply; she found that she couldn't, she was so choked by her own tears. She spent a good amount of time crying after that, and Dumbledore ended up summoning her a handkerchief to wipe away her tears when they reached their peak.

"There, there," he said, patting her gently on the back. "We'll help you, Nina. We're all here for you,"

Just moments after she had settled down, which was about another fifteen minutes later, the doors of the hospital wing burst open, and swift footsteps clattered against the marble flooring, halting only when they reached the foot of Nina's bed.

"Nina!"

"Nora!"

Completely ignoring the fact that Dumbledore was present and Nina was still aching from her forest adventure, Nora fell on top of Nina in a rib-cracking embrace and proceeded to cry into her bony shoulder.

"Oh, Nina!" she howled. "We were all worried sick, you know! Ginger wouldn't stop crying, even Malfoy and Blaise were worried, nobody could eat or sleep all the while you were gone! It was so awful, you shouldn't have run off. You should have just—just talked to someone, you know I'm always here to talk if you need me. Oh, we all though you were werewolf chow! Pansy and the Quidditch team had a row, you should have seen it! She was sprouting spider legs from the buttocks, it was hilarious! And—oh yes—the moment you came back we all got to making you get well cards. Crabbe and Goyle spent about twelve hours working on theirs—bless them. It's quite awful looking, but they did their best, they really did put their best effort into it. We all finally saw some of that Slytherin ambition in them—oh, hello, Professor."

"Hello, Miss Boone," Dumbledore said delightedly. "Perhaps you might want to give your friend some room to breathe?"

"Oh, of course, how silly of me," Nora lifted herself off of Nina's body, allowing her to inhale once again.

"What're you doing here?" Nina exclaimed hoarsely.

"I've been waiting outside of the door all afternoon, a whole lot of us have. Then Madame Pomfrey said you were talking to Professor Dumbledore, and of course that meant you were well enough to talk again, so—"

"MISS BOONE!" a screeching, terrible voice came from behind her, and Madame Pomfrey appeared, her face rather red. "I must ask you to leave!"

"Oh, but you said she's well enough to talk again!" Nora whined, stamping her foot impatiently.

"I'll leave you all to it, then," said Professor Dumbledore, his bright eyes twinkling. "Until another date and time, Miss Brimstone," He left, and then—

"It's rather drafty in here, isn't it?" came a pompous, drawling voice from the other side of the curtain that was drawn halfway around Nina's bed. Draco Malfoy appeared, followed by Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise Zabini, Ginger Who, Adrian Pucey, Millicent Bulstrode, Marcus Flint, Theordore Nott, and the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team. Surrounding them were a dozen other Slytherins, many of whom Nina had never met before, and a number of Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and even Gryffindors, including Fred and George Weasley.

"Huh," said one of the twins. "So _this_ is the infamous Brimstone girl."

"What are _you two_ doing here?" Flint sneered, bearing his large, crooked teeth.

"What? We're not allowed to visit our favourite Slytherin?" said the other twin, winking at Nina.

"Get out!" Flint roared. "You lousy Gryffindor gits have been nothing but trouble in the past few days!"

"All of you need to _LEAVE_," Madame Pomfrey started again, only for the twins to overlap her again.

"The name's Fred Weasley," one of the twins shoved Flint aside and reached out his freckled hand, grinning as Nina shook it. "It's a pleasure—this here is my brother George,"

"I can introduce myself, thanks," George said as he, too, shoved Flint aside and shook Nina's hand, his grin equally as mischievous as his brother's.

"Oi, get your smarmy hands off of her!" yelled Pucey as he shoved George away from her.

"What? Is this all because we haven't brought a gift?" Fred asked, false bewilderment on his face.

"Don't fret, brother dear, I've got it covered," George said, raising his wand. "_Orchideous!"_

A bouquet of very tropical, very colourful flowers burst from the end of George's wand, and he handed them to Nina.

"For the lady," they said together.

"Thank you," Nina said quietly as she took them, flushing slightly.

"Don't you two have anything better to do?" Marcus Flint growled. "She needs rest and time with her friends—she doesn't want to have to deal with you."

"Aw, you great big troll," Fred said antagonistically. "We _are_ her friends,"

"This is the first time you've spoken!" Ginger exclaimed angrily.

"We don't like leaving ickle second-years feeling all blue." George continued, wrapping an arm around Flint's shoulders. "If one goes down, so do the rest of them."

Flint shrugged George off of him, glaring ferociously at him. "Are you gay?" he sneered.

"Why?" George grinned. "Do you find me irresistible?"

As Nina giggled, Fred cried out, "See? She likes us!"

"She really likes us!" George cooed.

_"ALL OF YOU,"_ Madame Pomfrey screamed, now waving her wand threateningly at the crowd. "_ALL OF YOU WILL BE UNCONSCIOUS IN THIS HOSPITAL FOR THE NEXT WEEK IF YOU DON'T LEAVE THIS POOR CHILD ALONE!"_

"Better leave!" Fred cried, grabbing his brother's arm and running for the door. "It's getting ugly!"

"See you later, Nina!" Ginger cried as she, too, made a run for the door. "Make sure to look at the card I made you!"

"Bye," Nora whispered, winking as she left her bedside. "I'll visit you tomorrow!"

The crowd that had appeared so quickly dispersed in an instant, and Madame Pomfrey shut and locked the door of the hospital wing with a disgruntled grunt before hiding away in her office once again. Nina found that she was completely devoid of any energy she had collected within her slumber in the past few days. She fell back into the cuddly, warm sheets of the hospital bed and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, drifting back into a sweet, nightmare-free slumber that she had been craving for what seemed like an eternity.

* * *

"Hey,"

Oh-so gently, George Weasley took hold of her wrist and uncurled her small fingers. Nina watched, stunned, as his freckled fingers placed a small red candy in her palm.

"Combusting Confectionaries; it's on the house."

Nina found that she wasn't the only one who was utterly speechless. A dozen or so dumbfounded faces watched as George made his way back to his brother, who greeted his counterpart with a knowing grin.

"Yes, we'd like to thank this young lady for so bravely volunteering to try our newest concoction, Combusting Confectionaries!"

"Though we'd tread carefully if we were you; never quite know what they'll bring to the table, right Freddie?"

"Right you are, George, though we _do_ guarantee that you'll spend at least fifteen seconds as a genuine fire breather."

"Fifteen seconds sounds about right."

"Or thirty,"

"Or an hour,"

"Or three!"

"Only a sickle a piece, but don't expect this offer to last!"

As the audience began to boom with buyers waving their fists full of money, Beatrice pulled her friend, Cecilia Wicker, off to the side of the courtyard.

"Lia? Lia are you okay?" she murmured, worry lining her face.

Cecilia blinked away her tears as she watched Fred and George collect their pay and hand out large amounts of their candies. George refused to look at her.

"Let's get out of here… okay? Come on, then…"

As Beatrice led Cecilia away from the crowd, on the other side of the courtyard Nora Boone was excitedly grasping Nina Brimstone's shoulders.

"Are you all right there, love?"

"He… gave this to me?"

Nora nodded. "Dunno which one it was though. Still, I wouldn't trust anything those two give you; especially when it comes to food. Wouldn't surprise me if _you_ were meant to be the test subject,"

Nina stared, dazed, into her palm. Both of them had put so much effort into trying to understand her and making her smile… it was utterly refreshing. It felt like a dream; or perhaps more like the end of a nightmare that lasted an eternity.

Nina pocketed the candy and gazed up into her friend's large green eyes, and smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"I'm hungry."

Nora grinned. "Yeah, me too. I wonder if they have curry."

And they set off into the Great Hall, Nora rambling on about some great prank the twins had pulled the year previous. She didn't catch Nina glancing backward at the twins and grinning like a fool. Maybe—just maybe—it was the start of something beautiful. It was so small, but it had made such a wonderful appearance in her life, and suddenly she didn't feel so alone.

* * *

**And that's the end of the longest chapter yet, as well as the first big arc in this fic! I've honestly never gotten this far into a fanfiction before, I'm really proud of myself, and it's been such a journey so far with you all. I'm going to spend a bit more time planning out the next part, which contains a lot more romance and Fred and George, and so I do hope you all stay tuned. You've been such lovely readers and left wonderful reviews, thank you all so much!**

**Until next time-ciao! **


	9. Quidditch and Dementors

**AKA THE WORST CHAPTER NAME IN THE HISTORY OF THIS WEBSITE. Seriously, that chapter title is sad and a little too blatantly obvious. This chapter's kind of boring, but I did throw in some... well, some Quidditch and Dementors, LOL. There's also some more Fred and George. Keep in mind that they're only in the FLASHBACK, and Nina is looking back on it from her FOURTH YEAR. I know it's weird and confusing and sloppy how I skipped her third year and the rest of her second, but it would have been pointless, plot-less gibber if I HAD uploaded it, and I've done enough blabbing in the first few chapters. We're moving onto the second arc, and this chapter is pretty much just setting up the basis of their friendship.**

**Okay guys, bon appetite! Or however you spell it.**

* * *

_Cornwall, England, 1994_

_August_

The coolness of the Boone family's bathroom was welcomed by Nina as she splashed icy faucet water onto her face generously, smudging away the great clumps of dirt that were caked onto her face along with her sweat. It was already 6:00 in the evening, but by no means had the temperature cooled since noon. Such was surprising for England, with all of its cloudy and long-wintered glory. She was a great deal less pale, having spent much of the day outside vigorously completing against the Boone sisters in a game of Quidditch, and noticed, to her dismay, that her cheeks were rosy with a terrible, blistering sunburn.

"Are you coming down anytime soon, princess?" Nora shouted from the backyard, obvious impatience in her voice. "Let's not wait for the grass to grow!"

"Coming!" Nora chimed as she toweled off her face and sprinted back outside, grabbing her broomstick off the grass.

"Okay," said Nora's sister, Jasmine. She was darker than Nora and very pretty, though a great deal shorter than her sister, with sleek black hair that resembled their mother's. It wasn't like Nora was in any way ugly, but she would have a hard time competing with her sister's grace with her slightly frizzled, brown plait and constant impish smirk. "Nora, Nina, Todd, you're still thirty points behind us." she said, nodding to Todd, one of the wizard brothers that neighboured the Boones who had joined in their game of Quidditch. "Are you sure you can beat my team? We could always just call it a day, you know. If you're getting too hot—"

"In your dreams!" Nora hollered, fiercely mounting her broomstick. "Come on Nina, Todd. Let's put these nancies in their places,"

Jasmine's team, which consisted of Todd's brother, Chris, and Jasmine's fiancé, Felix, burst into the air, followed by the rest of the fliers.

There was no doubt about it; the score was close, with the scoreboard reading SLYTHERITES: 110; THE NANCIES: 140 (Nora had insisted upon the latter team's name, only for Jasmine to give in with a roll of her eyes with a sigh). Mr Boone, a pot-bellied Muggle man with bright green eyes and boyish face, cheered from the scoreboard.

"GIVE 'EM HELL, NORA! DON'T LET A SINGLE WAFFLE THROUGH THAT HOOP, NOW! I'VE GOT ALL MY MONEY ON YOU, SWEETHEART!"

"They're called _Quaffles!_" Nora shouted back as she took her position as Keeper at the end of the field. "_Quaffles_, Daddy, _Quaffles!_"

"Oh, yes, Quadfuls, of course!" he yelled back absentmindedly. "All right, teams! Three, two—"

The game resumed with a rush of wind that favoured the Slytherites, and Nina snatched the Quaffle—which was actually a football they used, as the Boone's didn't own an actual Quaffle—from the air as Jasmine made a pass to Felix, spinning full-speed to their hoop, which was guarded by a bemused-looking Chris. Her concentration unwavering, Nina faked a throw and then snuck in a powerful throw past the unguarded half of the hoop.

"SHE SCORES!" Mr Boone cried with great excitement, rising from the lawn chair he had set up and adding another ten points to the Slytherites. "SHE SCORES, AND THE QUADFUL SOARS THROUGH THE PITIFUL NANCIES' HOOP—"

"Dad!" Jasmine yelled angrily. "No bias, remember? NO—BIAS—oh, forget it..."

Felix was in possession now, his wavy, sandy hair flipping in the breeze as he zoomed past Nina, who had made a grab for the football, and towards Nora. She wiggled on her broomstick, slightly intimidated by Felix's great speed, and raised her hand to defend. Felix thrust the ball towards the hoop, and Nora swerved to block it. Flinching, as she knew Nora was terribly uncoordinated, Nina watched as the makeshift Quaffle bounced off Nora's outstretched arm and into Todd's outstretched arms, which were ready for the rebound.

"AND MY GIRL HAS DONE IT—SHE PROTECTED HER OWN! THAT'S MY GIRL!" Mr Boone cried, pumping his fists into the air. "WELL DONE, NORA, WELL DONE!"

Todd made for the other end of the ring, only to be blocked by Jasmine, who had raced to his front. She was the ultimate intimidation—four year captain of the Hufflepuff team until the day she graduated with uncanny skill as a Chaser. Todd swerved backwards, hugging the Quaffle to his chest, and tried to dive underneath her, only to find by Felix. Out of the corner of his eye was Nina, darting towards him. Todd released the ball into the air, and Jasmine missed as she made a grab for it, much to her dismay. Nina snatched it out of thin air and rallied to the other end of the ring, Jasmine hot on her tail. She reached the Nancies' hoop, but Jasmine hadn't called it quits just yet. She made a mad swing as Nina aimed and shot, and the Quaffle rocketed to the ground. Grappling each other madly and trying to reach the ball, both were caught off guard when Todd soared up from underneath them and scored. Felix's possession again, only for it to be stolen by Nina and scored.

"YES! YES!" Mr Boone cheered wildly. "TIED! BOTH TEAMS ARE NOW TIED, WITH TEN MORE POINTS UNTIL THE GAME ENDS AT 150—NANCIES IN POSSESSION, AND FELIX SOARS FOR THE SLYTHERITES' KEEPER—"

Nina kept her eyes on Jasmine's soon-to-be-husband as he raised the ball above his head, his eyes flashing like wildfire, a powerful thrust at his fingers. Nora's eyes flashed dangerously as she, too, raised her hands, ready to defend. Nina winced—she wasn't going to be able to block this one, she just knew it. Felix threw the Quaffle—Nina was too far away to even dream of doing something to help. The ball flew through the air, past Nora's outstretched arm, and towards the ring, only for it to bounce off the rim. Disbelieving, Nina watched in shock as Todd caught the rebound and passed it to her. The Quaffle now in her hands, Nina bolted to the other end of the ring, waving between Felix and Jasmine, who were now desperate to get back into possession. Now waiting by the hoop, Nina waited anxiously for the ball, which was now sailing over Jasmine's head. Thumping into her chest, Nina thrust it into the Nancies' ring before Chris even knew what was happening. That's it, they had scored, and then—

"AND THE SLYTHERITES WIN, THEY WIN FAIR AND SQUARE! BRIMSTONE SCORES AND—AND—OH!" Mr Boone was seemingly choked with what seemed to be extreme happiness. "A RIVETING GAME, JUST RIVETING! A MARVELOUS WIN, SIMPLY MARVELOUS!"

Nora was suddenly screaming with delight as she zoomed over to the other end of the ring and collapsed onto Nina, and they tumbled off of their brooms onto the relatively-close ground below.

"OUCH! Nora—!"

"YOU'RE SO AMAZING, NINA! YOU'RE JUST—IT'S NO _WONDER_ YOU MADE THE TEAM LAST YEAR, WE WON!"

"I hope that makes up for us losing the Cup last year," Nora chuckled as they sat up. "Flint was crazy mad, but with that look Oliver Wood had when they won—it was like Christmas,"

"That doesn't mean you're going to let those ruddy Gryffindors win this year again!" Nora shouted.

"Of course not!" Nina grinned as Nora helped her to her feet. "I can't leave Fred and George laughing all the way to the bank like last year, now can I? I lost half of my life savings to those gits."

"Kids, supper ti—_oh, for goodness sake, Hank!_"

From the large, blue house in front of the Boone family's large backyard came a pretty Indian woman—Nora and Jasmine's mother—who was striding towards her husband, her hands on her large hips.

"Ah, hello dear!" Mr Boone said excitedly. "We were just finishing up a game of Quidditch."

"I can see that," She crossed her arms, raising one of her black brows. "I can also see that you're jumping out of your seat trying to keep up with the game—you _know_ it's not for Muggle eyes—"

"Oh, come on, mum!" Nora shouted as she crossed the lawn with her sister—who was looking rather disappointed, even reproachful—and Nina. "Dad's just having fun."

"Too much fun," Mrs Boone said sternly. "Nora, you _know_ he'd run himself into the ground if he gets too excited—"

"Dad's got a heart condition; he's already had a heart attack. It was back at our second cousin's wedding, they were cutting the cake and he just _collapsed_," Jasmine explained to Nina in a hushed whisper. "Granted, it _was_ a pretty fantastic cake."

"—six months since anything happened, mum!" Nora argued. "If you're so worried, then take him to St. Mungo's!"

"Nora, that's _not_ for his lot," Mrs Boone said, grasping Mr Boone's shoulders tenderly now. "And he gets much too excited whenever he so much as sees a stray twig because he thinks somebody's misplaced their wand. Come on, it's suppertime now. Oh, and go on home, you two!"

Chris and Todd, who were still on their broomsticks, frowned at each other before dismounting and leaving the Boone property.

"And I want you girls in bed by nine o'clock, you hear? You've got to be awake before sun-up to make it to the Quidditch World Cup. If I hear a peep out of either of you past ten, you're sleeping in the doghouse, you hear?"

As Mrs Boone ushered the family into the house, Nora turned back to her friend and flashed her a sly grin.

"She doesn't know that we've pulled all-nighters doing homework since we became friends, does she?" Nora whispered.

"I don't believe she does," Nina whispered back.

"Good thing, too,"

* * *

When Mrs Boone said before sun-up, she wasn't kidding. Nora and Nina were awake all night with the jitters, unable to spend more than ten consecutive minutes in silence until the late hours of the night. At three twenty-three in the morning, their bedroom door burst open, flooding their slumbers with a flash of blinding light and sound.

"MORNING, IRELAND!" howled the deep voice of Felix. "Up, mum's made breakfast for us."

"UGH!" Nora flung her pillow at the door blindly, and it missed by about three feet. "Get out, you great, big, smarmy—"

"See you downstairs." Felix said as he flicked on the lights, and Nina whimpered under their intense glare. "If you're not down in fifteen minutes, mum's given me permission to bring the water bucket."

He left, leaving the door wide open, and Nina stretched out her foot and eased it closed.

"Bastard," Nora muttered. "I can sleep through anything."

"C'mon..." Nina yawned as she crawled out from her sleeping bag and shook Nora, who had also joined her on the floor for the night. "C'mon, love,"

"I'm up, I'm up!" Nora moaned, turning over.

"I think he was serious about that water bucket." She shuffled to the dresser and pulled on her clothes.

"I know," Nora said, her eyes still closed. "I've been treated to it before."

After washing up, Nora and Nina headed downstairs to the kitchen and joined the rest of the family who, to their surprise, were wide awake.

"Morning, sleepy heads," Jasmine said, munching her toast and not looking up from the _Daily Prophet_. "It's mad out there, you know; wizards from all over are booking tents. The Ministry's been having a field day with repelling Muggles."

"You _will_ take care of them, won't you, Jasmine?" said Mrs Boone, who was also at the table. "I'm trusting you with these girls—"

"You don't need to worry, mum. Felix and I can handle it," Jasmine said patiently. "It'll be a blast—oh, don't look so surly, Daddy."

Mr Boone, who was looking rather upset, shook his head. "I'm not surly, hon, really."

"Oh, Dad, we'd want to take you more than anything in the world," Nora said, and she seemed genuinely sympathetic. "We know how much you love Quidditch."

"You're one of the biggest supporters I know, Mr Boone," said Nina, who beamed at him. "I really wish they allowed Muggles to come, sir,"

"That—that's just how it is, Dad," Nora said. "I don't like it any more than you do."

"Sit down and have a bite," Mrs Boone waved her wand, and two chairs appeared at the table with a _pop_. "Oh—sorry, dearly, I know you don't want to see—it's just habit, you know."

"I know," Mr Boone placed his hand on his wife's. "I don't mind. It's just—it's just that there's all of this magic and wonder and excitement going on, and I can't be a part of it because I'm—well, I'm _me_. Boring,"

Nina laughed, drawing everyone's eyes to her. "I was just thinking of two of my friends—they've told me all about their dad, you see. He's a lot like you, thinking he was born into the wrong society. He loves Muggle things, like those ecklectric things—"

"_Electric_," Nora muttered into her ear.

"Right, right, electric. And those television things? They're so cool! I mean, I'm really jealous, Mr Boone." Nina said honestly. "And why would you want a wand when you could toast bread without paying attention to it? It's just—it's fascinating!"

"Oh," Mr Boone went slightly pink suddenly. "Oh, they're not _that_ great,"

Nina and Mr Boone spent the next twenty minutes discussing the brilliance of the telephone and water heaters when Jasmine politely interrupted them, gazing at her non-existent watch and ushering her father to bed as they prepared to leave.

"I can Apparate there and get the sent up while you take the girls," Felix offered Jasmine with a loving look as he wrapped his coat around himself.

"Thank you, Felix," Jasmine said, pecking him on the cheek. "We'll probably be just shy of an hour, it's a short hike to the Portkey."

"I'll see you all there. Good-bye, Mr and Mrs Boone,"

He Disapparated.

The girls left, bidding their sleepy-looking parents farewell, and set out on the dark path that led away from their house and through a nearby, seaside village.

"I wonder if anyone we know will be there," Nora pondered after a few moments of sleepy silence, trailing behind her sister with Nina.

"Oh, of course there well be," said Nina. "The twins are going to be there. Lee, too,"

Nora raised her eyebrows.

"What?"

"Mm, nothing," she said casually, kicking a stone that had crossed their path. "I didn't know you were writing to them is all."

"What, do you want me to get you an autograph?"

"Shut up," Nora's dark cheeks flushed crimson. "They're... they're just cool and all, you know. Did I ever tell you about that time—?"

"They enchanted a raincloud to rain toilet water on Filch?" Nina guessed.

_"No,"_ Nora said crossly. "I'm _trying_ to tell you about when they gave that git Zacharias Smith this weird toffee they got at Zonkos or whatever, and his lips enlarged to the size of a dinner plate! It was mad... brilliant, of course... but still mad."

"They're not all jokes and tricks, you know," Nina said. She faltered. "Well, they're _mostly_ jokes and tricks, but honestly, they're capable of intelligent conversation... when they want to be."

"Oh, yes, you and George would know all about that." Nora said.

In front of them, Jasmine giggled. Nina rolled her eyes, remembering that Nora had probably indulged her in every little detail of what had happened the year previous. Her and her damned big mouth, honestly.

"_For the last time_, _neither_ of us wanted to be locked in that stupid storage room together. _Somebody_ thought it would be funny." (Nora looked away as she unsuccessfully tried to stifle a snigger) "And if _that_ is what happens when you offer to pack up your team's brooms when they're down about losing the Cup, then I'm never volunteering again. Ridiculous... we were in that bloody supply shed for a good forty-five minutes."

"When is it you became friends, anyway?" Nora asked suddenly.

"Who?"

"You and the twins!"

"Oh. I don't know, it just sort of... happened. Hmm... the first time we really _talked_ was the beginning of last year."

"You mean on the _train_?" Nora gawked. "With that ruddy Dementor wandering about?"

Last year, the Ministry of Magic had deployed hundreds of Dementors to catch the escaped prisoner Sirius Black, who had even broken into Hogwarts grounds, avoiding the hungry and desperate Dementors, and somehow managed to get into Gryffindor tower, trying to kill Harry Potter, but instead mistaking him for Ron Weasley. There was a huge uproar when Black had slashed Ron's curtains, rendering the entire school terrified that Black may just break into their dorms and try to kill them, too. Before any of that, however, was an incident on the Hogwarts Express, in which a Dementor was searching the train for Black, and instead coming across Harry Potter. It was funny, Nina thought, how things always seemed to happen to that boy.

Nina, who had gone from her compartment with her fellow Slytherins to use the washroom, re-entered the train corridor only to find herself at a loss as to where her friends were, and took it upon herself to check any compartment she could to find them again.

"Hello? Oh, sorry, wrong one—hello? Sorry!—Er... hi? Oh, dear, I'll leave you two to it, then. Sorry, sorry—" Nina muttered feverishly, backing out of a compartment in which a lusty couple occupied. As she opened the next compartment's door, her tremulous greeting at the tip of her tongue, she was suddenly sodden with what felt like a large amount of goo.

"Oh, eugh!" she cried, staring in horror at her clothes, which were now covered generously by a thick layer of green slime which had just rained down upon her.

"Ah—" said a voice within the compartment.

"Oh, dear." said another.

She looked up through her goo-covered bangs and found four people, two of which she recognized as the infamous, ginger Weasley twins. On the seats opposite them were two people—a grinning black boy wrapped tightly in a Gryffindor scarf, and a pretty girl with long, sandy curls that reached past her shoulders.

"Didn't anticipate you coming in here," said one of the twins, as he stood simultaneously with his brother to inspect the mess.

"Yes," said the other, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "We were luring in that git Flint, we said Cecilia over here wanted to _talk_ to him."

"The bloke probably thought Christmas had come early, what with a girl wanting to actually be within a five meter radius of him."

"What're you going to do, Fred?" asked the black boy, leaning forward and stifling a laugh as he stared at Nina.

"Never fear, Lee," said one of the twins, who Nina took to be Fred. "We'll figure something out. It's just that we never planned on taking this gunk off of Flint."

"It's a Troll-Boogie-Bomb," said the other twin, George, excitedly. "It's a Zonkos product, but we modified it—it turns to mealworms if you try to use _Scrougify_ to clean it."

"Don't hex the poor girl, now," Lee mused sarcastically.

"Yeah, it'd be a really shame if it happened," giggled the pretty girl, Cecilia.

Nina stood there, dripping, as Fred and George circled her, their fingers rubbing their chins thoughtfully. Finally, they decided on a cleaning spell other than _Scrougify_; one that didn't work, much to Nina's dismay. She wanted to scream, but feared that a dozen mealworms would drop into her mouth if she did, and so stood there, squirming, as Fred and George vanished the worms, while Lee and Cecilia howled with laughter in their seats.

"Done!" said Fred, grinning triumphantly. "Waste of a perfectly good bomb, though."

"We've still got eight more, Fred, old boy," said George.

"Thanks," muttered Nina, shuddering as she inwardly wondered if there were any worms still squiggling around in her underwear.

"Don't be afraid to tell your friends that there's more where that came from!" Lee called to her as she turned around swiftly to make a dramatic, haughty exit, but she never got the chance. Just then the train jolted and the lights flickered, drawing everyone's attention away from Nina and instead to the rocking foundations.

"We're there already?" Cecilia asked, gazing out the window, which was now glazed over with a thin sheet of ice. "No, what can't be right, it's only just gotten dark."

"Rail construction?" George suggested.

"Oh, don't be silly..." Cecilia snapped. The train vaulted and shuddered again. As the corridors and compartments were suddenly plunged into darkness, Nina collapsed with a small shout into one of the twins, who were still standing along with her

"S-sorry—" she whispered.

"No, no, don't worry," muttered another voice, and she recognized it to be George.

"Oi? What's going on?" said Fred. "Oh, crap, I've gone and dropped my wand..."

"Wait, lemme find mine..." said George, pushing Nina away and scrambling to find his own, which he had put away.

_"Lumos!"_

The compartment brightened with a blue light that emitted from Cecilia's wand, and four curious, dumbstruck faces came into view. As Nina opened her mouth to speak, a cold chill ran down her spine, and she collapsed into a seat, her arms wrapped around her. The scene swam before her eyes and she suddenly felt a rush of darkness flood into her, as though some ravenous, invisible beast was consuming her body; her soul.

The compartment door, which was opaque and slightly ajar from the train's rocking, revealed a sudden ominous, cloaked figure. It paused at the door, bearing down on them momentarily, and then moved onwards down the train, leaving the five of them shivering from a nonexistent cold.

There was a deafening silence, and a few moments later, the lights flickered back on, but the coldness that had penetrated them so deeply still lingered in the musty, stale air.

"What—what was something like _that_ doing _here?_" Cecilia gasped, grasping her chest with her hand as her wand light flickered and died.

"A Dementor?" Nina breathed, gazing around the room.

Cecilia was now looking at Nina as though she were something rather disgusting stuck to a toilet seat. "That's obvious enough without you pointing it out, you great dirty sna—"

"_But it's on the train, Cecilia!"_ Lee interrupted, his large brown eyes wide with horror. "Like it's expecting Sirius Black to be in one of our suitcases or something!"

"What the hell is the Ministry doing?" George said darkly, scowling as he shut the sliding door with a slam.

"So the guy kills thirteen Muggles—" Nina began.

"No, no," said Lee. "Twelve Muggles, one wizard; you've got the story wrong."

"Thirteen people," Nina continued, waving her hand absentmindedly. "And they're sending out Dementors to look for him—but what, are they unregulated or something?"

"It appears so," said Fred.

"What did you say your name was again?" George asked suddenly.

"I didn't."

George raised his eyebrows suspiciously. "Go on, then."

"Oh," Nina looked away from them; they must have not recognized her with her hair newly cut. With it not going past her chin and her chest as flat as a wooden plank, she wouldn't have been surprised if they had thought her a boy all this time. "It's Nina."

"Nina... Brimstone?" said Lee nervously. "The Slytherin girl who—I mean..."

"No, you're right." Nina said, embarrassed. "I'm_ that_ Nina."

"Hell!" Fred exclaimed. "We didn't recognize you with the new hair! When you first came in, I thought you were a b—"

"Beautiful!" George continued brightly. "It's a beautiful haircut, right, Fred?"

"What? Oh—oh, yes, very beautiful."

Across from them, Cecilia rolled her brilliant eyes as she crossed her arms. "Idiots, the lot of you." she said. "I expect we'll arrive in about an hour. And you boys still need to change, don't you?"

But no one appeared to be listening to her.

"There's some kind of connection between Harry and Sirius Black," Fred was saying. "Dad won't tell us, though. Says we're _too young_,"

"You don't think Sirius Black could actually get into Hogwarts, though, do you?" Nina asked Fred nervously. "I mean—with Dumbledore and tightened security and all… is it really that likely?"

"I think Hogwarts is in for a fair few surprises this year," said Fred, his eyes twinkling.

"And besides," George continued enthusiastically. "We'd know where he's hiding in the castle if he _did_ come in, wouldn't we, Freddie?"

"Oh, too true," Fred grinned as he pulled a tattered piece of parchment from his pocket.

"Oh, not _that_ bollocks again," Cecilia said, half-amused and half-annoyed.

"'s not bollocks!" Fred exclaimed.

"Yeah, these Marauder guys were geniuses!" said George.

"I wouldn't be going on about that bloody map if I were you," Cecilia muttered. "Not with a _snake_ in the grass, anyway,"

Caught up in their heated discussion about the map in Fred's grasp, everyone in the compartment seemed to have forgotten that Nina was situated next to them, staring curiously from one person to the next. Unconcernedly, she beamed at them.

"If it's a map that knows whether or not Sirius Black is in the castle, I think it's cool," she said.

"Yeah," Lee muttered. "And I bet your friends would think so, too."

"They don't need to know, if it's _that_ important," Nina said quietly to him. "I can respect the—er—_Pranking Code of Ethics."_

"Cheers," Fred said carelessly.

"Now _hold on_ just a—"

The compartment door burst open then, and Nina knew who had entered the moment a pair of long, skinny arms wrapped around her from behind, strangling her.

"_Oh, Nina!_" Nora cried as she scooped Nina out of her seat and pulled her into a rib-crushing embrace. "Thank goodness you're okay! We thought the worst when you didn't come back from the loo!"

"I—got—lost—" Nina gasped as Nora set her down and held her face affectionately, her bright eyes sparkling. "I'm okay—I saw the Dementor!"

"_Really?_" Nora's mouth hung open as Nina recalled the incident. "Malfoy was going berserk, he shrieked like a girl when he saw it and practically ran into Goyle's arms. And I heard that Harry Potter went and fainted at the other end of the train, at least that's what Theodore Nott told us—"

Just then, the man himself appeared in the doorway, poking his head in from behind Nora. With very short blonde hair and a gangly, almost skeletal look to him, Theodore Nott almost looked like a pale, reproachful bird of prey. He was in Nina's year, though she had never actually taken the time to talk to him before; she recognized him as a Chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team. He was followed by Terence Higgs, a black haired, almost handsome boy with large arms and square shoulders. Both of the boys' chests puffed out at the sight of Fred and George, who immediately stood when they caught sight of them.

"Brimstone, what're you doing with these weasels?" Higgs growled, eyeing Fred and George forebodingly.

"It's _Weasley_, you troll," Cecilia sniffed as she flipped her dazzling curls over her shoulder. "Just take her and leave, why don't you?"

"Our pleasure," Nott said nastily. "Come on, Boone—Boone?"

Nora didn't appear to be listening. Her emerald eyes were completely fixated on the Weasley twins as she gazed at them with what appeared to be deep admiration. Nina sighed, knowing exactly what was coming.

"You…" she squealed. "You two…"

Fred and George exchanged rather confused, uncomfortable looks with each other.

"Ah—hi?"

"MERLIN'S WRINKLY BALLSACK, IT'S FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY!" she shouted, painfully clutching Nina's shoulder. "In the flesh…!"

Lee blinked. "Is… is she all right?"

"Oh… oh yes," Nina said, now fanning her friend with her hand.

"Oh, come off it, Boone," Nott said, running his hand through his blonde hair nervously. "It's not the first time you've seen this idiots before,"

"She's just recently become their fan… she couldn't stop talking about them all summer," said Nina, and she sounded rather fatigued.

"A… fan?" George muttered. "We've got a fan?"

"Oh, yes," Nina said. "She's called you two… oh, what was it? Geniuses of our time, I think? She says you ought to take over that old joke shop in Diagon Alley someday."

"Gambol and Japes? Really?" Fred said, sounding rather flattered as he broke into a grin. George, however, still looked rather stunned that he and his brother had an admirer.

"Mmhm. Tell them, Nora, go on,"

But Nora was still mystified by the twins' presence, and all she could manage to do was squeak every so often.

"This isn't getting any less awkward for us," Nott muttered into Nina's ear, having to bend down because of their great height difference. "Let's just get back to the others…"

"Sure," As the four Slytherins left the compartment—Terence Higgs having to pick Nora up and drag her away to tear her eyes away from the twins—Nina turned back and waved good-bye to the twins. "See you in school!"

They stood together, staring at her, before flashing back smiles of their own, and Nina was gone.

Suddenly, Jasmine Boone was laughing hysterically, bringing Nina out of the vivid memory and back to the village they were passing through.

"Oh, sis, is that the time you turned into a stuttering mess? You were red as a beet when you told me at Christmas."

"Sh-shut up!" Nora snapped. "They really are cool!"

"Oh, I know they are," Jasmine replied, glancing back and laughing. "You haven't shut up about them all summer."

* * *

**Is the ending a bit abrupt, or is that just me? Anyway, leave a review if you have the time, I appreciate it. I also want to take the time to properly thank EVERYONE who has left me a review, favourited, or followed my story. I especially want to blow huge kisses to VeraWhite and RosesInJamJars for their continued support; you guys are so amazing and sweet, you both just make my day!**

**Okay, all. Ciao! **


	10. Scenes of Terror at the World Cup

**The last chapter was a bit short, in my opinion, so I'll try to include as much as I can in this next one. Again, the title is a bit of a dead giveaway, but I'm about as creative as a flobberworm when it comes to naming things, hence the reason why Nora and Nina have such similar names AND the same initials… yeah, I'm sort of regretting that now. I've also deleted the first chapter (****_Prologue_****) for plot reasons. So for anybody who's stuck around for a while and knows what the hell I'm talking about, JUST FORGET ABOUT IT, IT NEVER HAPPENED. Gah, I am so unorganized. Okay, enjoy the chapter everybody, and let me know what you think!**

* * *

Jasmine, Nora and Nina's hike lasted about as long as Jasmine had predicted that morning; forty-five minutes on the dot, the trio arrived in a deserted thicket about a mile outside of the seaside village, which was as still and dark as it had been when they hiked through it. The sun was still nowhere to be seen along the horizon, but the sky had brightened since they left the house.

"Three minutes to five; excellent," Jasmine said as she checked her watch. "The Portkey is just through here, come on."

It took a few moments before Nora cried out as she found the Portkey they would be using: a mouldy-looking empty chip bag.

"Oh, gross," Nora crinkled her nose as she placed a finger on it. "They make them nastier every time."

"Ten seconds," Jasmine said. "Nora, scootch over and let Nina get in here; there we are."

The world suddenly turned into a whirl of colour and sound, and Nina could hear Nora grunting as her body slammed into hers as they twirled. Just as Nina was starting to feel uncomfortably nauseous, their feet hit what felt like soggy grass, and Nina wobbled as she struggled to keep her balance. Nora wasn't so lucky; she stumbled backward, her arms flailing madly as they desperately tried to grab onto something solid, and she hit the ground with a _thump_.

"Oh, no!" Nora moaned as she scrambled to her feet and examined her buttocks, which was now caked with a layer of mud. "These shorts were brand new!"

"That's what you get for not listening to mum," Jasmine chimed, now hoisting her backpack further up her shoulder and leaving the muggy moor they had landed in. "Come on, you can change when we reach the tent."

"Five o'clock on the dot," grumbled a voice on their right, and Nina turned to find a pair of grumpy-looking wizards, both dressed in odd combinations of Muggle clothing. Jasmine strode over to them and greeted them with a smile.

"Hello," she said. "We're the Boones,"

"Mm," mumbled one of the wizards, who was clad in a poncho and bright red kilt. "First field you come to, ask for Mr Roberts. I hope you've got Muggle money on you?"

"Yeah, our dad gave us some." Jasmine said brightly. "Thank you, gents. Come on, girls,"

They set off down the hill as the wizards collected the soggy chip bag and eventually came to a stone cottage, smoke billowing from the chimney. They came across a Muggle man named Mr Roberts who was smoking a pipe, and Jasmine paid him the notes he requested and set off towards the misty field behind his cottage on which hundreds upon hundreds of tents sat.

As the girls trudged through the field, passing by some of the oddest tents Nina had ever come across, they came across Felix, who had set up a rather ugly, shabby-looking lime green tent.

"Ah, hello, dear," He grinned, waving them over and embracing Jasmine once they met.

"Where did you find _this_ thing?" she asked, pointing at their tent and narrowing her eyes. "I'm pretty sure this thing wasn't green when we got it."

"Ah, well… see, darling, I _may_ have used some—er—some _magic_ when I was setting it up." he muttered, withering under Jasmine's fiery gaze. "B-but just a bit, nothing that old Muggle could see!"

"Felix, _what_ have I told you about anti-Muggle security?" she hissed, her hands resting on her hips. "You can't be waving your wand all over the place when we're so close to his cabin! You should know that he looked really suspicious—"

"Oh, come on, love!" he said. "Wizards are showing up and wiping his memory all the time anyway—"

"I _wonder_ why," Jasmine muttered, her eyes narrowing to slits.

"I'm hungry." Nora said suddenly.

"You just ate!" Jasmine said, rounding on her fiercely.

"So?" Nora said defensively. "You went and rushed us out of the house before I could get more than half a slice of bread down!"

"Oh, so everything's _my_ fault now?" she yelled. "If you're hungry, then go do something about it, I'm not your mother!"

"Okay," Nora shrugged. "Come on, Nina. Let's see if we can go mooch food off of someone."

"Are you sure you should be so… antagonistic towards her?" Nina muttered to her as they trotted off into the haze together, leaving behind the rowing couple.

"Oh, she forgives people in a heartbeat, don't worry about it." Nora said, waving her hand dismissively. "Is that Adrian Pucey?"

It was. He was camping surprisingly close to them, and was sitting around a fire with a few other friends of his, and he ushered them over to join them when he, too, caught sight of them.

"It's been forever! We've missed you around Hogwarts." Nina said cheerfully as they joined him at the fire.

"I haven't played much Quidditch since I left," he said, frowning. "How's the team?"

"Nina made it," Nora said happily. "She took your place as Chaser."

"Is she any good?" Pucey muttered, as though talking in a whisper Nina from hearing, despite her sitting right next to him.

"Of course she is! It's about the only thing she _is_ good at," she added in an undertone.

"Oh, shut up," Nina giggled, smacking her shoulder playfully.

"I suppose that git Malfoy is still on the team?"

"He's gotten better—not _much _better, but better." Nina said. "So how is Ginger?"

Pucey shrugged. "Haven't seen much of her lately,"

"What?" Nora frowned. "But you two were so close, right up 'til your graduation."

Pucey shrugged again, though this time more uncomfortably. "Well, we weren't really after we broke up—"

"What?" Nina and Nora said in unison. "When was this?"

"Middle of the year—we broke up right after Nina's forest adventure,"

Nina shifted uncomfortably on the log they were sitting on. She didn't like people talking about her episode, but somehow Pucey's casual manner made it more bearable.

"I never knew!" Nora exclaimed.

"We didn't make a big deal about it," he said. "And we stayed friends afterward but… eh, I guess we just grew apart. No big deal. I think she's working in the Leaky Cauldron over in London. How are you, Nina?"

"I'm okay," she said, smiling.

"That's excellent—listen, Pucey, do you have any food?" Nora asked unblushingly.

He raised his eyebrows. "Is that why you're wandering about the campsite?"

"Well, yeah,"

One of Pucey's friends laughed. "There's a can of leftover squid stew in the tent. It's probably gone a bit rancid since last night, though…"

"No thanks." Nora said, standing quickly and looking slightly green. "Well, see you chaps later—that was a waste of time," she muttered to Nina once they were out of earshot.

"I'll miss him," Nina said, looking back momentarily as their tent disappeared in the lingering mist.

"Oh, he'll be fine. I still can't believe they broke up, though. Who and Pucey were a thing from their fourth year."

But Pucey's words were clanging around in Nina's head. _We broke up right after Nina's forest adventure_. Had Nina caused it? Had she worried them to the point in which they couldn't function as a couple?

"Oh, thank goodness!" Nora suddenly cried out, leaving Nina's side and making a B-line for a bright gold tent, where a boy and his mother sat munching on a buttered stack of toast. Nina recognized the boy immediately; the dreadlocks, the dark skin, the grin plastered onto his face as he spotted Nina and Nora.

"Lee!"

"'lo, Nora!" he said, bits of toasts flying out of his mouth as he waved them over. "Mam, fis err mah friendsh!"

"Oh, for God's sake! Swallow, Lee!" his mother snapped, wiping bits of soggy bread off her face.

But Lee wasn't listening, he stood up just in time to be tackled by Nora, and she wrangled him into one of her infamous bear-hugs. Nina watched from afar, giggling, as Lee's eyes bulged out of his head and Nora proceeded to sob dramatically into his dreadlocks, her mouth moving at a mile a minute.

"Oh, Lee! I know we don't know much about each other, but you were just so good to Nina last year! I owe so much to you and the twins for making friends with her, you're all just so cute together and—OH, it's so silly that I'm crying! But this year is our OWL year, I swear I'm going to fail everything! Oh, yes, I forgot—do you guys have any food?"

"Yeah!" Lee gasped as Nora let him loose, rubbing his neck. "Y-yeah, have a seat. Hey, Nina!"

"Hi, Lee," Nina trotted over, now sure she was safe from Nora's hysteria, and took a seat next to him, helping herself to a piece of toast and spreading beans onto its surface.

They continued to circle the campsite as they munched on their toast, coming across a rather large number of Hogwarts students and elaborate tents as they did. They eventually returned to their campsite to find that Felix and Jasmine had more or less settled their differences and were getting intimate on the couch when Nora and Nina entered.

"Oh, gross!" Nora moaned, covering Nina's eyes and looking away herself. "Get a room!"

"We _had_ one," Felix said irritably, pulling back on his shirt begrudgingly.

"Where were you two all morning?"Jasmine asked, now standing and straightening out her ruffled black hair.

"Exploring," Nina said, trying not to sound too shifty.

"Uh-huh."

The campsite's excitement buzzed as dusk drew nearer, and Jasmine made it her job to thoroughly inspect the girls' eveningwear, down to the very last detail.

"Cut off those threads hanging off of your sweater, Nina, they might get caught on something. And Nora, for Merlin's sake, put on some proper pants!"

Nora, who was still wearing her shorts with a dirt stain on the back, groaned. "It's not like it's the dead of winter, sis! We'll be fine!"

"It's going to get cold, and mum will have my hide if your legs get mangled by mosquitoes. Now go and put on some yoga pants!"

Muttering obscenities under her breath, Nora pulled off her shorts and started searching the tent for her spare pair of pants. Nina, clad in baggy green sweater with the word _Ireland _written in big letters across the back, pulled on a large shamrock hat she had purchased earlier and grinned at her reflection in the mirror she was staring at. Her hair was still considerably shorter than it had been in her second year, but she could have sworn her breasts had gotten larger since last year—but that was probably just an illusion.

"Sis!" Nora called, strolling into the sitting room in her underwear. "I can't find them!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, just borrow a pair of mine."

"With _your_ hips?" Nora said, watching her sister with a sceptical look on her face. "I'd have better luck trying to fit a sock around my legs.

Nora scuttled out of the room under her sister's scowl while Nina giggled, turning back to the mirror. Felix appeared through the tent flap just then, dressed entirely in green and smiling widely. His wavy blonde hair looked tousled, perhaps more so than usual, and he announced that it was time to head to the Quidditch stadium, as half of the tents' occupants were already gone.

"Excited?" he asked Nina as Jasmine went to mollycoddle her sister, who was still wandering around in her panties

"Of course!" Nina grinned widely. "Thank you so much for bringing me along."

"It's no trouble," he said. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he leaned over to her and murmured, "Don't tell Jasmine, but I've got this huge bet going on with some of the guys—fifty galleons that Ireland win."

"Fifty?" Nina said, raising her eyebrows. "You could use that for a down-payment on a house."

"Exactly." he said, winking.

After Nora was properly clothed and Jasmine had been thoroughly riled up, they rushed out of the tent and up the lantern-strewn path that led to the Quidditch pitch, excitedly chattering about the souvenirs they had purchased earlier that evening and the upcoming game. They took their seats in the packed stadium, which were closer to the bottom than they would have liked, and griped the armrests of their seats as the lights dimmed, and the game began.

* * *

"And then, and then—" Nora said excitedly, spilling some of her hot chocolate onto the table as she flung her arms out dramatically. "Then Quigley hit that Bludger towards Zograf, and _BAM_!" She slammed her hot chocolate onto the table, spilling what little contents remained in it.

"Oh, and when those Veelas started spitting fire at those leprechauns—!" Nina said excitedly, clenching her mug with all her might.

"And when Krum caught that snitch—!"

"But then Ireland won—!"

"And they were just ten points away—!"

Nora and Nina were not the only ones unable to contain their excitement due to Ireland's win at the game. Crowds of cheering and partying people could be heard celebrating Ireland's win all throughout the campsite. Jasmine and Felix looked rather exasperated as they sat quietly at the table, one of them yawning every so often and glancing longingly at their beds.

"Okay, girls," Jasmine said as Felix's head fell onto her shoulder. "It's bedtime."

"Aww, what?" Nina moaned.

"Come on, sis, just another hour."

"Only if you two keep it down while we try to sleep." Jasmine said, now rising from her seat, Felix following her lead in a daze. "But we're not getting up any later than nine tomorrow, mum will want us back by lunch."

"Kay." Nora called to them as they left the sitting room together. "Oh, Nina, remember when…?"

She couldn't recall it happening, but Nina and Nora ended up moving onto the couch just outside of the kitchen, though their heated discussion about Quidditch eventually melted away, and Nina fell asleep on her lap as they sat together. The lantern-lit, cool August night flitted into dreams of flying and Quidditch, and she was suddenly thrusting a Quaffle into the opposing team's hoop, and they had reached 700—30, and she had scored the majority of the points. There was a faraway cry, and Nina realized that the Seeker had caught the Snitch. Her team landed on the faraway ground below, and Nina was lifted up into the air, and the crowd was chanting her name. The crowd's screams became more and more vivid, and suddenly Nina jolted awake, and found Felix's face, distraught and shaken, as he shook her awake.

"Get up!" he yelled. "Get up—we've got to go!"

"Felix, they're getting closer! Get those idiots up!"

"Wuzzappening?" Nina slurred, lifting herself from Nora's lap and taking note of the air of panic that wafted in through the tent.

"Up, up, up!" Felix hollered, smacking Nora in the face. She woke with a start, her eyes staring madly around the tent.

"WHO—WHA—WHO'RE YA DOING IN THAT THING?" she yelled, obviously disoriented.

"Get up!" Felix ordered.

"Ugh! There's no school today, I swear! Tell McGonagall I'm not going!" she moaned, her eyes rolling back as she slumped back into the couch.

Nina screwed her face up as she jumped up from the couch, trying to remember where she was and what she was doing. It came flooding back to her; the Quidditch World Cup, the riveting game, her late-night chatting and snacking with her friend. But there was something wrong with the scene. The screams she had heard in her dream were very much real, and there were sounds like echoing like cannon-blasts throughout the campsite. Something was very, very wrong.

"Nora, get up," Nina said hastily, pulling her up from the couch.

"I'm up, jeez! What's—what's wrong?" she asked, suddenly aware of the panic was ensuing.

"There's some kind of riot going on," Felix said, ushering them towards the tent flap. "Get your shoes on, we need to leave."

Pulling on her running shoes and thrusting herself into the chilly night air, Nina was met with a world bursting with sound and light. There was a group of people moving closer and closer to them, their wands shooting great fireballs towards tents and their drunken cries echoing towards them. High above them were four figures that twirled and danced at the control of their wands, and a mob of people were rushing towards them, terror on their faces as they made to get away from the dark wizards.

"Nina!" she heard Nora cry, and felt her hand entwine in hers as they were swept away by the stampeding crowd. Nina couldn't see over the heads of the many witches and wizards that swarmed around her, and had no way of telling where she was or where Jasmine and Felix were.

There was a great banging sound and a curse flew just past her ear and into a nearby tent, and it combusted into a heap of glittering flames. There was a surge of heat that blasted into the crowd, and someone screamed as the tread onwards, desperate to escape whatever terror that lay in wait behind them. Nora's hand, now somewhat slippery with sweat, began to slip away from Nina as they ran through the maze of tents and towards the forest.

"Nora!" Nina cried as she slipped away from her, washing away into the crowd.

"Nina!" she called back, her hand outstretched.

"Nora! Nora!" Nina screamed as the crowd carried her away in the opposite direction from Nora.

There was another blast just behind them, and the stampeding crowd hurtled onward, unstopping. Nina searched for anyone whom she recognized as they moved towards the forest up ahead, towards safety.

"Nina!"

The voice wasn't Nora's, but still familiar. She felt a hand clasp around her wrist and pull her from the crowd, which had now reached the trees at the top of the moor. There were still many panicked shouts, though the crowd had thinned greatly in the darkened thicket. There was a great blast below them as a spell rose up into the air, and the light shone upon the face she was suspecting to find.

"Weasley!" she shouted, unsure of which twin it was, but glad to see him all the same.

"George, who have you got over there?"

George moved to reveal Fred Weasley, his hand clasped over his younger sister Ginny's wrist. He grinned at the sight of her, and rushed over to hug her.

"Can't believe it—it's mad, there are those ruddy Death Eaters having a time down there."

"They can't be Death Eaters," Nina said as she pulled away from him. "It… it just doesn't make any sense!"

"I've seen photos of them before… and that's definitely the uniform," George said darkly. "But what're you doing here?"

"I came with Nora, but I've lost her," Nina said.

"Uh-oh." said Fred, now gazing around concernedly. "George… they're gone."

George groaned.

"They'll be fine." Fred insisted. "They've got Hermione with them. Come on," Fred turned back to Ginny and took hold of her hand again, and made his way down the dark path again.

"Can't—see—a damn—thing—" George grunted as a tree branch smacked into his face. "Nina, are you still there? Ginny?"

"We're here." Fred said up ahead.

"Oh, screw the Ministry," George muttered, pulling out his wand. _"Lumos!"_

The darkened grove around them came to life at the blue light of George's wand.

"Cheers," said Fred, pulling his own wand out of his pocket and illuminating the scene along with his brother. Suddenly, Fred halted, and he screamed, "Wait! Ginny, get back! Go—!"

The trees, which they had previously thought was a safe haven, suddenly exploded with light and heat, and Nina could feel her feet leave the ground as she was blasted backwards by a strong force in front of her. The treetops swirled before her vision as she realized she was stationary on the ground, and the world was filled with screams.

"Get up, get up!" a voice was yelling at her, and she felt a tugging at her arms as she was brought to her feet, her knees wobbling as George pulled her away from the blast wreckage, and into the darkness of the trees.

"Where're you going, girly?"

There was a scream somewhere close by, and Nina and George could hear Fred yelling, "Ginny!"

George pulled his wand from his pocket and rushed to find his siblings, his hand still tightly clasped in Nina's. It wasn't too difficult finding Fred, as he was swearing and blasting spells towards a masked, cloaked figure nearby, which was clasping a mane of red hair in one of his hands. Ginny's face was illuminated in the light of the hexes, which were bouncing off of trees and bushes in the thicket. Nina, too, drew her wand and aimed at the back of the cloaked figure.

_"Potor Puris!"_ she hollered, and the masked man immediately released Ginny, his hands clamping his masked face in desperation. He gave a gurgled scream and Nina and George rushed forward into the trees, picking up Ginny as they followed Fred by wand light.

"Hell, Nina, what was that?" George exclaimed as they ran.

"The pus-drinking curse," she replied quickly. "His mouth pretty much filled up with… well, you know."

"Brilliant!" he said, awe-struck. "I'll remember to use that one on Flint when I get the chance,"

They continued through the trees, and soon the blasts and screams were a faraway past, and only soft footsteps against the dirt and low, anxious mutters could be heard in the thicket as they made their way up the path.

"Thanks," Ginny said suddenly, and Nina chewed her cheek, unsure of what to say. Nina had been quite rude to her on the train in her second year, and hadn't spoken to Ginny since that day, despite being on such good terms with her brothers. Nina wasn't exactly on good terms with Percy Weasley, either, since she had attacked him with a cleaver during her forest adventure.

"It was nothing," she replied, smiling weakly.

Ginny smiled back brightly, her brown eyes twinkling warmly, and relief spread throughout Nina. She did, however, think nervously back to the campsite, and wonder where Nora might be. She prayed silently that she had not been separated from neither Felix nor Jasmine in the scuffle. She wondered whether or not the people who were floating high up in the air above the Death Eaters were all right, or even still alive.

And amidst all her worries, she noticed that she was still holding George's hand.

Eventually, Fred halted, panting, in the middle of the now-apoplectic trees, and turned back to them.

"Ginny, you all right? What about you two lovers back there?" he said, his eyes flickering towards Nina and George's entwined hands.

George hastily let go.

"Where are Ron and the others?" Ginny worried. "And why have you dragged us out here in the sticks, Fred?"

"Well, my bad," he said. "We could always head on down to the campsite, you know how cheerful it is down there."

Ginny didn't reply.

"We'll just wait for dad here." George said, taking a seat by a tree with his brother.

Ginny and Nina sat together next to the twins and they all sat in silence for a moment, listening to the footsteps and voices of passers-by, eagerly listening for anyone they might know.

"Oh no," Fred said suddenly."Oh, no… no, no, no, no! NO! NO! NO!" he shouted, leaping to his feet.

George followed suit behind his brother and they retreated to the edge of the thicket, their voices reduced to whispers. Nina leaned forward, eager to catch a few words.

"It's gone… all of it has disappeared!"

"… fall out, did it…?"

"… Bagman's screwed us over…"

"… leprechaun gold…?"

Fred swore loudly, causing Ginny and Nina to jump, and the twins began to pace together, muttering furiously with each other. Beside her, Ginny scoffed.

"What is it?"

"Fred and George made this huge bet about the game with Bagman today… you know, the bloke who narrated the game? I guess all their money's up and vanished."

"What? No way… so he skived off of paying them?" Nina gasped.

Ginny snorted. "No, you should've seen them when he handed over that sac of gold."

"It must have been false gold, then… Oh, those two," Nina muttered furiously, getting to her feet. "Honestly, gambling all their money like that… so reckless, _no_ tact…"

"Huh?"

"I mean—" Nina fumbled to find the right words. "If they're going to gamble their life savings, they could at least… Oh, I don't know, make sure there's some way of ensuring they get paid."

Ginny's eyebrows rose. "Like what?"

Nina shrugged, kicking the dirt with her sneaker. "At least get some dirt on him or something,"

Ginny's eyebrows, if possible, rose even higher. "So, like, blackmail?"

Nina shrugged.

"Man," she whispered. "Man oh man, you are _devious_!"

"It's just security." Nina said haughtily, the blood rushing to her cheeks.

"Oh, but you're so cute, too!" Ginny grinned, pinching her cheeks.

"Ah! Gin—Ginny, stop! Ouch—ouch!"

"Girls, we're leaving." Fred and George had come back, both looking rather troubled and grouchy. "Come on—"

"Look! In the sky!" cried the nearby voice of another person.

There were more screams, and Nina's gaze rose to the sky above them, which was completely black and glittered with a thousand silver stars. Amidst the treetops, however, was the horrible, smoky image of a skull with a green snake for a tongue.

"That—that can't be…" George whispered.

"The Dark Mark…" Nina muttered.

There were more screams, and chaos ensued once again among the trees. Just then, there was a distinct _crack_, and a stocky-looking man with flaming red hair appeared in front of them. He stood there for a moment, looking taken aback, and then grinned.

"Hell, that was probably the best Apparation I've ever pulled off." he said.

"Charlie!" Ginny yelled, running into his arms. "What's happened?"

"Yeah, and why is You-Know-Who's symbol floating about?" said George, gesturing casually towards the sky.

"Never mind that, let's just get back to the tent. Most of the riff-raffs just Disapparated when _that_ thing showed up," He turned and found Nina, who was staring at him blankly. "Who's this?"

"Friend." said Fred.

"All right, he can come too. Dad's just gone out to search for Ron and the others. Come on,"

Charlie led them through the thicket and back into the campsite, which was now smoking slightly, though much calmer than it had been an hour ago. It was when Nina and the others reached the Weasley's tent, which was in the same field as her own, that she realized how exhausted she was. Despite the smell of cats and sulphur that lingered in the air of the tent, she so desperately wanted to curl up on a warm, squishy surface and not awaken for the next twelve hours. Within the Weasley's tent were two more of Fred and George's brothers. One of them was unmistakably Percy, his glasses now shattered and his nose gushing blood. The other man, who looked to be in his twenties and had his long hair tied back in a ponytail, was holding a blood-stained sheet to a wound on his arm.

"Found this lot pretty far in, Bill," said Charlie, motioning towards them.

"Who's this?" said Bill, his eyebrows rising at the sight of Nina.

"Friend." said Fred again.

"Where are your parents, kid?" said Charlie slowly, as though he were speaking to a small child.

Nina remained stationary, trying to make her scowl politer than she intended.

"She's a girl," said Ginny haughtily, moving across the room and taking a seat beside Percy.

Charlie looked at Nina as though she was some kind of alien. He examined her closely, and then broke out into a grin that reminded her greatly of Fred and George. "Oh, yeah! What do you know, so she is!"

"Nutter," said George under his breath.

"But Fred, George… what're you doing hanging around with a first-year?"

Fred snorted loudly.

"She's fourteen!" Ginny said angrily. "Oh, you're such an idiot sometimes, Char."

"Who did you come with?" Bill asked her, pressing harder on his wound as she took a seat beside Ginny.

"My friend and her sister—Nora and Jasmine Boone. I lost them in the—"

"Wait a minute," said Charlie suddenly. "_Jasmine Boone?_ Indian girl, Hufflepuff?"

"Yeah," Nina said, her voice dropping with suspicion. "Why?"

Charlie cleared his throat awkwardly, scratching his Adam's apple. "'s been a while since I've seen her—she was in my year. Er—I'll be back." He disappeared through the tent flap without another word.

There was a silence. Then—

"It's almost two in the morning," said Bill wearily. "Where the devil is dad and the others?"

"I hope they didn't caught up in all of that… that _Dark Mark_ business…" Ginny whispered the last few words.

"They'll be fine," said Bill as he placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder, though he himself sounded quite nervous.

"You're awfully quiet, Perce." said Fred.

Percy was watching Nina with a rather guarded, weary look on his face, as though expecting some creature living inside of her to pull down a zipper and attack him with a hatchet. She blinked.

"Hello, Percy." she said quietly.

His chest puffed out as he continued to wipe dried blood from his nostrils. Without looking at her, he muttered, "Nina Brimstone."

There was a very awkward, painful silence.

"Well," Fred stood, clapping his hands. "It's about time we hit the sack. What d'you say, George?"

George didn't reply. Nina turned round and found George sprawled out on the couch behind the table, his eyes shut and his mouth slightly agape. Yawning, Ginny stood and took Nina's hand, leading her over to the couch. She cuddled up against her slumbering brother and patted the seat beside her, beckoning Nina to sit. As the trio settled down, Bill sighed.

"Get some sleep, Fred,"

"I'll stay up," he offered, taking a now empty seat at the table. "Somebody's got to watch over these idiots."

At a half past two there was a small _pop_ that awakened Nina from her nap. In the middle of the dim room stood a blushing Charlie and ruffled-looking Jasmine, who immediately ran towards her once she caught sight of her. Her hair, once sleek and shiny, was now frizzled and filled with various twigs and leaves, and her clothes were trodden and dirty-looking.

"Thank goodness!" she whispered, wrapping her arms around her. "Charlie came and found me—we've been looking everywhere for you. We all thought you were dead, Nina!" She swivelled around to Charlie and planted a large, wet kiss on his cheek. "Oh, how could I ever repay you, Charlie?"

"Oh," he muttered, shrugging. "Oh, it was nothing, Jas. Anything for an old friend."

"We'll get out of your hair, then." she said, taking Nina's hand and leading her towards the tent flap. "Thank you all again, really,"

"We'll see you on the train, Nina," said Fred, grinning. "Don't be taking any dirt naps while you're gone, all right? We won't always be 'round to save you,"

As she hugged him goodbye, her gaze caught on the couch, where George and Ginny were still curled up together. She grinned, quietly ran up to them both, and pecked George on the cheek before dashing from the tent, plenty aware that her face was redder than any of the Weasley's hair.

* * *

**I want to take the time to thank all of my lovely reviewers yet again, but a special thanks to the people who have been here from the start: RosesInJamJars and VeraWhite. I also want to thank one of my newer reviewers (antiquitas). If anyone wants to read a hilarious and original Fred/OC story, I would totally recommend checking antiquitas out, and another great read I've come across is VeraWhite's "Ally Hopewell and the Sorcerer's Stone". That's all for now guys, review and let me know what you think of the chapter, and any improvements I can make also help out a tonne. **

**Ciao!**


	11. Salvador Rodriguez

**EWWWW, I JUST FOUND A SILKWORM IN MY ICED TEA OMG.**

**And here's another chapter for you guys. I want to thank basicwannabes for the extra push she gave me the other day. If we have any Neville/Luna shippers (heck, even if you AREN'T a Nuna shipper) then go check out her story, ****_Those Wretched Blubbering Humdingers_****. It's totally adorable and I'm personally stoked for more.**

* * *

Apart from almost being pummelled to death by a worry-stricken Nora upon her return to the Boone tent, Nina had escaped the Quidditch World Cup riot practically unscathed. The Daily Prophet had a field day, especially when the Dark Mark made its appearance that night, leaving most of the wizarding world in a panic. But it was the evening before boarding the Hogwarts Express that the most surprising event yet took place; just as the girls were changing into their bedclothes and Nora turned to shut the window, a great brown figure swooped in and landed gracefully on Nora's dresser, knocking a pair of socks and a few trinkets to the floor.

"Oh, damn owls," Nora said, making her way over to the bird and attempting to take the letter from its leg. "C'mon—stay still, damn it—OUCH! It bit me!"

The tawny owl, which had just nipped Nora's finger, ruffled its feathers haughtily and took flight, landing on Nina's sleeping bag. It gazed up at her with its great brown eyes and she stared back at it, bemused.

"For me?" she said, reaching for the letter and wondering whom it could be from. "Thank you."

The owl hooted sleepily, and with one last glare at Nora flew back up onto the dresser and nestled in a pile of her winter scarves.

"Oi! This isn't an owlery, you ruddy beast!" Nora shouted at it, but it didn't so much as shudder under the considerable volume of her voice. "Oh, never mind. Why're Fred and George writing to you the day before school, anyway?"

"This isn't their owl… it's not Lee's, either." Nina said, eyeing the bird nervously. She looked down at the letter, and gasped at the loopy, large printing. "I—I don't believe it! It's from my mother!"

"Your mother?" Nora's eyes widened as she threw herself down onto her sleeping bag. "Are you sure? I thought the broad left you all alone and went to America," she added bitterly.

"She always transfers money into the family bank account," Nina muttered, tearing the white envelope open and pulling out the letter within. "But she never writes… even when Dumbledore contacted her in my second year she didn't write me. Something must be really wrong."

_Dear Nina,_

_As I am sure you know, I've been plagued with heaps of work here in the New York underground, and I've barely been able to get out of the house, let alone come and visit you in England. I am sure the neighbours have kept their word and been looking after you, and I am pleased to hear that you haven't been causing any trouble since your episode in your second year. I will admit that I am slightly disappointed in your becoming a Slytherin; I would have thought I raised you to be a Ravenclaw, just as my mother was and her mother was, and so on and so forth. I have been receiving your annual report card, and I do wish that you would apply yourself more to Transfiguration and Charms. I understand that these are two very difficult courses for the average student to master, and not everyone can possess the extraordinary qualities that allow them to excel in such classes._

_All of this aside, the news of the Dark Mark arising at the Quidditch World Cup has left me bewildered. I do hope you're not getting caught up with those sorts of people, it would be nothing short of disgracing this family. It's something your father was always fascinated with—the Dark Arts, I mean._

_The owl that delivered this letter is a gift from me to you, as I haven't been great about sending you Christmas and birthday presents. Good luck in your studies this year._

_Sincerely,_

_Arietta Brimstone (mum)_

There was a moment of utmost disorientation as Nina read and re-read the letter's contents, her expression becoming more and more puzzled by the second. Finally, she let the letter fall from her hands, and Nora scrambled to grab it. She watched numbly as her best friend's face grew darker and more confused, and finally she set the letter down.

"What the hell was _that_?" she said disgustedly. "First she belittles you, and then gifts you? She's mad…"

Nina suddenly snatched the letter from Nora's grasp and crumpled it up in her fists furiously, her jaw clenched so hard she felt as though all her teeth would crumble under the crushing pressure. Stifling a scream, she thrust the letter out the open window. Her head ached with the thumping of her own heartbeat as she stood and paced the room, Nora passively watching from her sleeping bag. Who did she think she was, criticizing her after abandoning her? It was because of _her_ that she went mad in the forest, because of _her_ that she was berated by all of Hogwarts. She had been such a neglectful caregiver, Nina shuddered at the very thought of addressing her as 'mum'.

"THAT—THAT—UGH!" Nina shouted, kicking her pillow with all her might. "THAT _BITCH!_ WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"

"N-Nina?" Nora whispered, her emerald eyes larger than Nina had ever seen them. Her surprise was understandable; Nina rarely yelled, let alone swore. "Come on, love, just calm—"

"Do _not_ tell me to calm down!" Nina spat, blinking away her tears of fury. "Don't you dare tell me to calm down when you don't know a thing about what I've seen or done—" her voice cracked terribly and she turned away from Nora, tears now pouring down her face. "She hasn't visited me in years, and all she has to say is 'good luck in your studies'? When has your mum ever left you alone for _weeks_ at a time, huh? You have _everything_ I've ever wanted and I—I just…"

"Oh, Nina," Nora whispered, her voice shaking. "Please don't—you know I'll cry if you cry."

Nina's legs were wobbling terribly, and she collapsed next to Nora, burying her face into her long brown waves.

"I'm sorry," she said tearfully. "I—I shouldn't have lost it like that."

"It isn't fair to you." Nora muttered angrily, stroking her hair. "You should have gotten a mum; a proper mum. You deserve so much more than you've gotten, love. I swear, if my mum doesn't adopt you soon I'm moving in with you."

Nina sniffed and glanced back at Nora's dresser to where the tawny owl was snoozing peacefully.

"I still can't believe she got you an owl." Nora said.

"What should I name him?"

"Dunno… something graceful, I suppose."

"Maybe Ace?" Nina suggested. "Or—erm—Pepper?"

"Nah, sounds like something you'd name your dog," Nora said dismissively. "How about… Ranbirraj Kapoor? He was this Bollywood actor my mum and dad loved."

"_What?_"

"I know!" Nora exclaimed. "Salvador Rodriguez—Sally for short. His nickname sounds kind of girly though, eh?"

"Nora," Nina began patiently. "I really don't think he'd be able to recognize such a complicated name…"

"Look!" she said excitedly, now bouncing up and down on her knees. "He knows it! You like your name, Sally?"

Sure enough, the tawny owl's great round eyes were now wide and unblinking as he stared expectantly at the girls, as though he was expecting a treat.

"Oh no," Nina mumbled. "I think I liked Ranbirraj Kapoor better."

"This is just too exciting! We've got a cage from my sister's old owl down in the basement; we can dig it out before we leave tomorrow." She sighed contently and laid herself out on her sleeping bag as though Nina hadn't shouted at all. There was a moment of silence in which Nina stared at her new owl, pursing her lips and lingering on her angry thoughts. What was the point of sending such a ridiculous and pointless letter, let alone an owl? And why had her mother left in the first place, leaving Nina to fester in her own home, which was now empty and collecting dust near Ottery St. Catchpole back in Devon? But most importantly, why had she mentioned her father? Nina swallowed nervously. Her mother would always become very cold and angry whenever she asked about her father, and Nina now suspected that her birth was the result of a fling that her mother was now regretting. Her suspicions, however, didn't explain why she had brought him up, or even wrote her at all. If she wanted nothing more than for Nina to have never existed, why had she bothered to pick up a quill in the first place?

It was then that Nina realized that both her new owl Sally and her friend Nora were snoring loudly, and she sighed as she stood from her sleeping bag.

"Nutters, the lot of you." she muttered to herself as she flicked the light switch downward, plunging the bedroom into darkness.

* * *

What with Dumbledore's announcement of the Triwizard Tournament being held at Hogwarts, anxiety and excited murmurs escalated as Halloween grew ever closer. Fred and George Weasley were, to put it lightly, fuming at the Ministry's decision to keep the contestants over the age of seventeen. Nina, who couldn't be less concerned with such trifling matters, couldn't help but roll her eyes whenever the twins would bring the matter up.

"There's no helping it, Fred," she was saying just days before the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students arrived. "Oh, don't give me that look, George. Cheer up, won't you?"

"We could use a thousand galleons," Fred muttered sulkily. "I'll hex Bagman next time I see him, I swear."

"It must've been some kind of misunderstanding," Nina said gently.

"'Misunderstanding_'_ my freckled ass, that git straight up robbed us blind," George said angrily. "We're getting into that tournament if we have to kidnap every of-age person in the school. C'mon, Fred—"

The look in the twins' eyes was something Nina—to her dismay—recognized; the ol' Weasley zeal. There really was no stopping the twins once they set out to do something; damn those two, they'd run straight off of a cliff face chasing a butterfly if it were left up to them.

Nina left the History of Magic classroom the afternoon prior to the Halloween feast with the rest of the Slytherins, all of whom were in a groggy haze as they trotted sleepily down the marble staircase. As she and Blaise came to the entrance hall together, simultaneously moaning about the load of homework they had just received, a small scream emitted from Nina's mouth as two hands clapped on her shoulders from behind her.

"Oh, George! Don't _do that!_" she gasped, clutching her chest as she gaped at the grinning twins. "You scared me half to death!"

"Not a bad workload eh?" said Fred as the four ascended the rest of the stairs together.

"Not that we'd do any of it, anyway." continued George, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Speak for yourselves," Nina muttered darkly. "Snape and Binns aren't cutting us any slack."

"Well, they're Snape and Binns, aren't they?" said George. "They're about as interesting as dishwater. But Mad Eye-Moody… he's another story."

"Brilliant man," said Fred, wiping a fake tear from his eye. "Just brilliant…"

"He's a bit scary," Nina said tentatively. "He… he _Imperiused_ us. I don't know… he seems a bit shady, don't you think?"

"Of course he's shady!" Fred exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's what makes him so bad ass!" George continued.

Nina giggled.

"So, are you kiddies still in Care of Magical Creatures?"

"Yep," Nina said brightly. Beside her, Blaise sighed.

"What?" she snapped.

"Nothin'," Blaise shrugged, pocketing his hands. "I just hope nobody's head gets scorched by one of those damn skrewts."

"Professor Hagrid's teaching us about animals that require a lot of attention and care," Nina said diligently, as though nothing would please her more than to study blast-ended skrewts for the rest of her life. "And I happen to find them _cute_,"

"You'd find a pile of dragon dung cute, Brimstone," George snickered.

"Oh, whatever," Nina said angrily as she shoved her book bag into Blaise's arms. "Blaise, I've got to run. Take this downstairs for me, won't you?"

"What? No way!"

"Thanks!" she called back to them as she made for the marble staircase again. "See you guys at dinner!"

"Where's she off to in such a hurry?" Fred asked Blaise, who was now slinging Nina's bag over his shoulder begrudgingly.

"Madame Pomfrey; she checks in on her every now and then." he replied as he started down the dungeon staircase.

"Madame Pomfrey eh?" Fred muttered into his brother's ear once Blaise had disappeared from earshot. "D'you think she could nick some of those gruntnip leaves from her stores for us? We could sure use 'em."

"Nah, she'd sooner suck the snot out of a gorilla's nose with a straw than nick anything from Pomfrey." George said dismissively. "But tonight is the night, Freddy. Got the ageing potion ready yet?"

"Lee said he still needs the ground up horn of a Graphorn; unless you're willing to hop on your old Comet and fly to the Alps, we've got to figure something else out."

"Come off it, you know I get broom-rash easily." said George. "I'm sure old Snape won't mind if we borrow from his stores—"

"Alone—"

"At night—"

"With the help of our favourite Slytherin, I presume?"

"Brother dear, I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

"Any strange thoughts or feelings lately, dear?" Madame Pomfrey asked Nina as she examined her closely, searching her eyes with her own. "Have you been sleeping well?"

"I'm feeling really good," Nina said. "I spent the summer with my friend, we saw the World Cup together,"

"Hmm," Pomfrey mumbled, tapping her chin thoughtfully with the end of her wand. "Any strange dreams? Bad thoughts?"

"No," said Nina, staring anxiously at the hospital wing door. The feast would be starting soon, and she didn't want to be late. "No hallucinations, either. I'm telling you, I feel perfectly normal—"

"And do you still see Sirius Black?"

"Only in the papers."

"And you're taking the potion I prescribed you?"

Nina wrinkled her nose at the thought of the potion she had to take every week, which smelled greatly of urine and rotten fruit. "Every Sunday, eight-fifteen on the dot, like you said,"

"Uh-huh…" Madame Pomfrey said, watching her carefully still. "You seem much better than last year—plenty of energy, I see. But you're sure you're all right, you don't need—? Oh, very well, off you go, then," she said impatiently, waving her away.

"Thanks! Bye!" she said happily as she scurried towards the door. As she burst through it and made a sharp turn to her left, she slammed into a tall, broad-shouldered figure and tumbled backward to the floor.

"Oof! Sorry!" she squeaked.

"What's with the hurry?"

"Yeah, don't have any time to get chummy with your favourite Weasleys?"

"And believe me, there's a lot of us."

"What? Oh, hello again." she said, accepting George's hand as he helped her up. "Shouldn't you two be at the feast?"

"See, we thought we'd come up and visit you, Nina dear," George chimed, wrapping an arm around her. "Knowing you, you'd probably get lost on your way downstairs. That's why we've come to escort you,"

"Uh-huh," said Nina shiftily as Fred and George led her down the hall. "So what do you _really_ want?"

"Are we really that predictable?"

"At least we still have our good looks."

"We've got a little errand that we need you to help us run. It's nothing too big, of course. Just a bit of nicking from Snape's personal stores,"

"Are you _mad?"_ Nina gasped. "Why on Earth would I help you with that?"

"Because it'll look good on your resume if and when you decide to work for us someday?" Fred suggested.

"And what is it you want to—er—_nick_?"

"Nothing big, like we said," George said. "Just… y'know, the horn of a Graphorn,"

Nina snorted. "Yeah, he won't notice _that_ going missing."

"We just need a pinch, not much!" said Fred. "It's not like we're asking for half of his shelves,"

"Come off it, it's not like you two have never been down there before." said Nina. "Why d'you need me? I'm sure you could manage on your own."

"It's a three man job, this one." said Fred. "The best passageway to use is one that needs to be held open, or it'll lock behind you—it's a one way trip otherwise. We need one person to hold open the passageway, one person to keep watch, and another to search Snape's stores."

Nina groaned. "Can't… can't you just get Lee to do it? Or Cecilia?"

"Cecilia?" Fred snorted. "She hates all those dead things in jars, won't go near them if you paid her to. Potions is a right hell for her. And Lee can't go. He needs to—ahem—'spend some time with his girlfriend'."

"In other words, he's ditching us for some late night snogging with Fallon Bomburger. Git." said George.

Nina stopped short of the marble staircase, worriedly watching the twins. "It's not for some stupid ageing potion or something, is it?"

"Of course not! What would make you think that?" Fred exclaimed.

"Yeah! It's for—uh—homework."

"What bollocks," Nina muttered. "Oh… oh, I don't know, you guys… we could get in a lot of trouble. If Professor Snape finds me I'll—"

"Nina, relax," George smiled and clapped a hand on her shoulder. "We won't let anything happen to you, don't worry."

"Oh—oh, fine!" she blurted out.

Fred and George whooped simultaneously and high-fived each other as they each took one of Nina's arms and lifted her into the air.

"There she is!"

"Slyther-puff of the century, she is!"

"AAAH! N-NOT THE STAIRS!" she cried as the twins started down the marble staircase with her still high up in the air. "Let me go!"

"Let you go?" Fred teased, wobbling her slightly.

"No!" She stiffened. "Don't let go! Oh, I'll murder you both!"

Their scuffle apparently carried all the way to the Great Hall, and Draco Malfoy made it his job to let Nina know of this.

"_Don't let me go, Weasley! Oh, no!_" he mimicked in a high, girlish voice as she found Blaise, Nora, Theodore Nott and another select few from her house in the Great Hall a few minutes later. As the surrounding Slytherins laughed, Nina felt her face redden. _Stand up for yourself!_ she thought. With a great, deep breath, she spoke.

"They're—they're really nice, Draco! You could learn a thing or two from them!"

"Yeah, I bet you _would_ find them—heh—_nice_. Really, Brimstone, I didn't think you'd go for a man who doesn't have two Knuts to rub together." sneered Draco.

"Which one was it that you snogged with in the broom cupboard again? George?" Theodore Nott sniggered.

As Nina felt her words tangle in her throat, Nora stepped in front of her, her hands on her hips. "Oh, for Pete's sake, it was you lot who locked her in there in the first place! And there was no _snogging._ Now rat off, all of you."

"Thanks," Nina whispered as Draco and Theodore walked away together, sniggering behind their hands.

"Ah, they're rotten little punks." she said, waving them away. "I'm kind of surprised you didn't join in on the fun, Blaise."

Blaise, who had been abnormally quiet for the past few minutes, looked at her unconcernedly. "I have no interest in wailing on my associates." he said matter-of-factly.

"Aw, Blaise!" Nora exclaimed, giggling and bending down to pinch his cheeks. "You've got a heart of gold, y'know; you're so cute when you try not to admit you're friends with us!"

Blaise, who grimaced and pulled away from her, looked coolly at the ground as a blush ran across his face. "Keep away from me, you filthy half-blood."

"Wow, _rude_," Nora muttered as he stalked off to join Malfoy.

"Don't take him too seriously, he's just embarrassed." Nina said.

Nora looked at her oddly. "Embarrassed about what?"

"You really are so clueless, Nora," Nina said, grinning slightly. "Oh, it's time!"

Sure enough, the heads of the houses had arrived in the Great Hall and were now neatly placing their students into groups.

"Boone, get with the rest of the fifth years," Snape snapped, and Nora left Nina's side in a dash. "Peterson, get your shoes on, this isn't a bleeding carnival! Very well, follow me. Fall behind and you'll be jarring Grindylows for the next two weeks."

The Slytherins, following just behind the Ravenclaws, entered the Hogwarts grounds and spent the next forty-five minutes gazing sleepily into the night, trying their best to ignore the nipping cold against their bare fingers and rumbles in the pits of their empty stomachs. At long last the Beauxbatons and Durmstang students made their entrances, and Nora squealed loudly as she realized Viktor Krum was part of the Durmstrang student body.

"No way!" she hissed into Nina's ear as he took a seat next to Malfoy at their table. "It's really him! Viktor Krum! Oh, he's so handsome in person!"

"Looks kind of like a vulture if you ask me." said Blaise grouchily as he sat down beside Nina.

"With the eyes of an eagle, though," said Nina amiably, craning her neck to get a good look at him. "Maybe Draco could finally learn a thing or two from him about Seeking."

"Good evening!" boomed the voice of Dumbledore, and silence immediately fell upon the students. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and—most particularly—guests," he said, beaming around at the foreign students. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable.

"The Tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," said Dumbledore. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

"Oh, gross! They're feeding us bugs!" Nora quailed at the sight of a plate of escargot which had suddenly appeared on a dish before her.

"They're _molluscs_." said Blaise stiffly. "Like clams and oysters,"

"Well, it's a good thing I hate those too," Nora sniffed, pushing the plate far away from her.

"Isn't that Ludo Bagman?" said Nina, squinting at the teacher's table. Sure enough, it was the old Beater himself, laughing and shoving green beans up his nose as he imitated a walrus for an unamused Professor McGonagall. Nina nervously glanced to the other end of the hall and found Fred and George at the Gryffindor table. Both of them were whispering to each other furiously, their plates untouched. Nina sighed heavily.

After the feast ended and Dumbledore had explained the rules of the Triwizard Tournament, he unravelled the Goblet of Fire and warned the students that no one under the age of seventeen would be able to cross the Age Line that he had drawn around the Goblet. Nina, now positive that the twins were creating an ageing potion to be able to cross it, decided to confront them after the feast had ended as they were heading up the stairs of the marble staircase.

"There you are, we almost forgot about you." said George, beaming. "Listen, we're going to meet at eleven o'clock tonight by tapestry of the trolls that bonk each others heads with clubs that's on the fourth floor."

"You guys," Nina started. "I—I don't—"

"Of course!" George bopped himself on the head. "You don't know about the passageway that leads out of the dungeons, right? I just sort of assumed that everyone knows the same passageways as us. It's mad, right?"

"It's real easy," said Fred. "You've just got to tap the odd brick on the wall near that one alcove in the Hufflepuff dungeons—it leads right up to the fourth floor. Got it? Oh, just go to the Hufflepuff dungeons at ten-to. I'll meet you there."

"No, Fred—" Nina said. "Listen, this _really_ isn't worth the risk when you weigh your chances. There are Prefects swarming the corridors at that hour. And Dumbledore—"

"Which is why you'll be with us!" Fred interrupted, patting her shoulder before starting up the staircase and throwing a wink behind him.

"Come on, it'll be fine," said George, giving her a reassuring smile. "Where's your sense of adventure, Nina?"

"George, please, _you're_ the rational one."

"On the contrary—we're both up the wall, I'm afraid."

Nina pursed her lips and looked away from him anxiously.

"Don't stress it, okay?" he said. "We'll show you what it really means to have a good time. So come with us, yeah?"

"Oh…" She fumbled with the hem of her skirt as George watched her, anticipating the rest. "Oh, I'll see you at eleven, then."

"That's my girl," said George, ruffling her hair and starting after his brother.

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**I love all of my supports with all my heart. Please stay tuned for more! Reviews are welcome.**


	12. The Heist

**This was a really exciting chapter to write, I hope ya'll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. I'm actually surprised at how quickly I managed to update. I want to thank everyone who's left their AMAZING reviews, and I'll make sure to do a proper shout-out at the end of the next chapter. And FLIPPIN' FINALLY, here's some of the romance I've been promising. It's not exactly up to par in my opinion, as I'm not the best romance writer in the world, so if anyone has some kind of advice to offer me I'd love to take it. I hope you all enjoy!**

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At precisely quarter-to-eleven, Nina ripped her bed sheets off her body and sat up, fully clothed, and gazed around at her dorm mates, making sure that they were all sound asleep. Sure enough, both Pansy and Millicent were emitting great, loud snores, and Daphne Greengrass and Mafalda Prewett were both as still as corpses in their beds. Slipping on her shoes and creeping out of the dormitory, Nina slithered through the crack in the door and scurried into the common room, which was empty apart from a few chatting seventh-years with their backs turned to her. With just three minutes to find Fred in the Hufflepuff basement, Nina scurried from the warmth of the common room and into the dark and cobbled dungeon hallway. She took the long route; rather than cutting across the entrance hall as she normally would, she circled the dungeons to avoid any Prefects and eventually came to the warm, brightly lit Hufflepuff basement, its many plants perched on the high windows and paintings lining the tan walls. Nina, however, stood alone in the corridor; Fred was nowhere to be seen. It was then that she began to panic. A teacher or a Prefect could be just around any corner, and being caught out of bed was a serious breach of the rules, worth a deduction of at least fifty points if not expulsion. There was nowhere to hide but the girls' bathroom just around the corner, but even that might not be worth risking it.

_I'll just tell them I was sleep walking… or I was going to the bathroom because the toilets in the common room were all clogged…_ Nina thought hazily as she nervously bit her cheek. At that moment, a loud _clunk_ at the end of the hallway caused Nina to jump on the spot, and she watched as a red-haired figure holding what appeared to be half a dozen cupcakes emerged from the large painting of a fruit bowl that led to the kitchens. Clutching her chest, Nina sighed in relief.

"Merlin above! I thought you had forgotten about me!" Nina whispered as she went to join Fred, who held out a pink-frosted cupcake to her. "Do you just steal these from them or something?"

"'course not." Fred said, his mouth partially full. "The house elves just go an' hand them to you; they just sort of assume that everyone out here's starving, I guess."

Nina took the cupcake he offered her and the two made their way over to the portrait of Eglantine Puffett, ex-Hufflepuff and the inventor of the Self-Soaping Dishcloth. Fred reached up with his free hand and pushed in a slightly protruding brick near the top of the portrait, and she swung open, revealing a passageway that led upstairs.

"Ladies first," said Fred.

"And this goes up to the fourth floor?" Nina questioned, making her way up the dingy spiral staircase and brushing cobwebs out of her face every so often.

Fred grunted in reply, his mouth clearly full of more pastry. "Georsh ish rai'ing fer ush."

"I'm just going to pretend I understood that."

Fred swallowed. "George is waiting for us. _Lord_ these are good."

Indeed, they were. There was quiet apart from their footsteps against the staircase and Fred's wolfing down of the cupcakes, and finally they reached the top, coming to a large archway that must have been the back of another painting. Nina pushed it, only for Fred to shove her aside.

"You've got to jab him sharply, otherwise he doesn't feel it," he explained, poking the canvas. Sure enough, there was a yelping sound on the other side as the portrait swung open, revealing the fourth floor corridor and Fred's twin.

"Thanks," George said as Fred tossed him a cupcake. "All right, Nina?"

"It's so creepy at night…" Nina observed, glancing down the hallway. "And so weird without all the students,"

"Ah, but it's lovely, ain't it?" Fred grinned.

"Yeah," Nina grinned back. "It's beautiful."

"Think old Snape's in bed yet? It's only eleven." said George, checking his watch.

"We could always go and kill some time. Nina?"

"What exactly did you have in mind?" she asked.

"I don't see any point in going to Hogsmeade when nothing's open…"

"Plus we're broke." George added.

"Want to go and visit Cecilia?"

"Sure."

"Wait a second!" Nina hissed. "You two just go and waltz into other people's common rooms? How do you even know where it is?"

"It's really easy to enter, plus they all love us down there. As long as Sprout doesn't catch us, we'll be fine."

"Maybe… maybe another night. We really should get this Graphorn horn."

"Ah, she's got a point; we've only got less than twenty-four hours to enter, after all."

"I thought you were doing _homework?_" Nina crossed her arms and glared at Fred.

"Oops. Me and my big mouth,"

"You're already here anyway, Nina, so you may as well tag along, eh?" George said.

"Then you'd better hurry up before I change my mind." Nina said grumpily, though she knew she shouldn't have been too surprised. "Where is this passageway, anyway?"

"Just here," Fred rushed over to a tapestry (which depicted two trolls taking turns clobbering each other on the head with their clubs) and slipped behind it. Nina and George followed suit.

"Now Nina, I'm going to open this passageway in the floor," Fred pointed to a very large, slightly ajar stone in the floor with his foot. "And George is going to go first; he's going to grab the ingredient. You're going to keep watch in Snape's office, and I," He pointed to himself. "will keep this thing open for George. It's easy enough to crawl back up. Then we'll head on back to Lee, finish the ageing potion, and that's the end of that. Nina, you'll just head on back to your common room, and badabing-badaboom. Easy as pie,"

"Er, Fred? How exactly does this thing—?"

Nina never got to finish her sentence. Fred bent down and, with a grunt, unhinged the large stone and revealed a large, gaping black hole. Nina couldn't imagine how the twins had somehow stumbled across this and thought, _'Hey, let's go down there and see what we find!'_

"Don't worry, it's a blast. Oh, and try not to scream; it'd be a right mess if Snape found out about our little heist," George grinned at her and then leapt into the hole soundlessly, causing Nina to gasp.

"Fred…" Nina whispered tremulously, gazing after George's disappearing figure. "Fred, there's a reason I was placed in Slytherin. Me and that whole self-preservation thing go together like peaches and cream. There's _no way_…"

"See you at breakfast," Fred said with a wink, placing his hand on her back.

"Wait! Fred, no—!"

Nina was consumed by blackness as she was pushed into the passageway, and stifled a scream as she barrelled down what felt like a smooth stone slide that led further and further into the belly of the castle. She twirled and spun downward, unable to see so much as her own fingers, and then caught sight of a dim light just ahead of her. She braced herself for a painful impact, only for her to slam into an open-armed figure at the end of the slide.

"Oof!" George grunted, stumbling backwards slightly as he caught her. "Gotcha!"

Nina found herself in the middle of the Potions classroom in George's arms, and glanced back to find that she had just come out of a large vent with a swinging metal door.

"W-wow." she huffed, beaming at him. "That was… fun!"

"Told you," he said, brushing some dust off of her hair. "Come on, it's just over here,"

They parted and George led the way to a door in the far corner of the room; a door that Professor Snape had forbidden anyone from ever entering. She stood against a wall as she watched George unlock the door with magic and slip inside, and she sighed in the cool darkness of the classroom. She wondered where Snape usually slept, or if he had somehow taken some kind of security measures to prevent this kind of theft. It would be a clever precaution to take, and it _did_ seem like the kind of thing a Slytherin would do.

And then she remembered the warmth of George, and how closely he had just held her to him, and the rush of affection she had felt as he brushed the dust off of her short black hair.

_Oh, don't be stupid_, she thought to herself, squeezing her eyes shut and shaking the thought away. _We're just friends, just friends… he's two years older, for Pete's sake._

Just then, there was a loud _CRASH_ within the storeroom and Nina whipped the door open to find George with a moving, biting cauldron nipping at his feet.

"GOT—IT—!" He held up a tiny packet of a shimmering gold dust—which must have been the ground horn of a Graphorn—triumphantly.

"Oh, no," Nina moaned. Her suspicions had been right; Snape must have cast some kind of protective charm on his stores so no one could do precisely what the Weasley twins had planned to.

"Arg—get—off—_Flipendo!_" George pointed his wand at the cauldron, and it bounced away from him. He hurried out of the storeroom and shut the door behind him. "Oh, hell, this isn't good,"

He was right. Snape was, without a doubt, currently rushing towards the classroom with his wand at the ready, a jinx at the tip of his tongue. George was looking around desperately, searching for some kind of distraction or solution, but finding nothing to his taste. Thinking rashly, Nina stepped towards Snape's desk and shoved every single paper off the edge, and the crashing of glass against stone rang throughout the room.

"What are you _doing?_" George hissed, grabbing her wrist.

"Just start making a mess; trust me." she said quickly as she spilled the contents of a bubbling green potion onto the floor.

George stood there, blinking, then shrugged and knocked a bookshelf over. "If that's your cup of tea, Brimstone." he said.

In just thirty seconds, Nina and George had managed to knock every paper, book, cauldron and glass vial to the floor, littering the ground with strange liquids, splintering wood, dead creatures and shattered glass. From the hallway, the two of them could hear hurried footsteps.

"Excellent," Nina said, pulling the storeroom door open and letting the vicious cauldron loose. "Now we've just got to hide,"

George took Nina's hand and briskly led her to the vent that they had previously come out of. He opened it, crawled inside, and held open the metal flap as Nina budged in beside him.

"Tight—squeeze—" he gasped.

The door of the classroom burst open, and a cry of blind rage shook the room. Snape had appeared clad in his black night robe, his face—even in the darkness—visibly distorted by his scarlet fury. He examined the room, his black eyes colder than Nina had ever seen them, and roared, _"PEEVES!"_

Nina sighed with relief; her plan had worked. Surely no thief would take the time to create such chaos, right? Just then, George slipped a hand over her mouth. Snape was still in the room.

_Quiet_, he mouthed. As she gazed at him, she noticed it; from the top of the small tunnel they hid in hung one of the largest, hairiest, long-limbed spiders Nina had ever laid her eyes on. It was easily as large as George's hands, and by far bigger than hers. It was dangling just above George's shoulder on a thick piece of thread, one of its spindly legs curiously brushing against his ear. He seemed confused, and was just about to inspect the source of the tickling on his ear when Nina grabbed his face, directing at her.

"N-Nina?" he breathed, bemused.

Nina stared at the spider, unfaltering. She thought about the flobberworm she had brought into her kitchen when she was younger, and all the live garter snakes and newts her mother had found in her overall pockets when doing the laundry. She thought about Care of Magical Creatures and how Professor Hagrid had beamed at her when she had successfully shown respect to the Hippogriffs last year and walked the blast-ended skrewts around the lake without any trouble. She thought about her dream of working with dragons and studying centaurs and merpeople, and she took a deep breath. Spiders were nothing; why, she found the hairy ones cute. She reached out her small hand and cupped it below the spider, and it crawled into it. She held out her other hand to support the rest of the creature's body, and held it to her chest. George's eyes rounded as he caught sight of it, and Nina imagined that his heart must have skipped a beat. Looking back, she watched as a fuming Snape burst back through the door, undoubtedly off to find Peeves. Nina jerked her head towards the metal door, and George opened it for her. She gently laid the enormous spider on the stone floor, and it scuttled away into a far off corner.

"Bloody freaking hell," George said, shaking his head. "You're braver than any Gryffindor I've ever met, I swear. Fred! Can you hear me?"

"What's happened? This stone isn't getting any lighter!" Fred's voice echoed through the tunnel.

"Go on back to the common room; there's been a change of plans! Tell Lee I've got the stuff!" George hissed.

"George?" Nina whispered. "What're you doing?"

"I'm not about to let you go out there with that old dinosaur wandering about," he said, squeezing past her and back into the classroom. He held out his hand to her. "Come on!"

She stared at it for a second, unsure. Above them, Nina heard the grinding of stone, and she knew Fred had complied with his brother's command. There was no helping it now. She let him help her out of the vent, and the two of them left the wrecked classroom, wands raised.

"Your common room's just down here, right?" George said, pointing his wand down the left hand corridor.

"We need to find the Bloody Baron." Nina said.

George looked at her as though she had just told a very bad, offensive joke. "What?"

"Just trust me, we need to find him. You know he'll make Peeves do whatever he says. If we can just get him to convince Peeves to take the blame then we're home free."

"Right," George nodded. "And Snape'll suspect the underage blokes who used an ageing potion if they don't have an alibi."

"Yeah," Nina said, rushing down the hall. "And even if Snape does suspect you, everyone knows you and Fred don't do anything without each other, and with Fred in the common room he can always say you've got… I don't know…"

"Explosive diarrhea?" he suggested.

"Exactly. And nobody wants to enter a washroom occupied by a guy who has explosive diarrhea."

They hustled down the corridor together in search of the bloodstained Slytherin ghost, jumping every so often at a squeaking rat or the sounds of each other's panting. It was easy enough to find the Baron. He was, as usual, sulking and muttering obscenities to himself in a wide open area at the end of the hallway.

"Mr Baron?" Nina whispered, hurrying towards him.

"Mm?" he grunted, jumping out of his daze. "Out for a midnight stroll, Miss Brimstone?" His silver eyes rested on George, who was standing a few feet behind her. "With your suitor, as well? Well, at least you're not in a broom cupboard together this late,"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, why does _everyone_ know about that?" Nina said, bristling. "And for or the last time, _neither_—"

"Seen Peeves around?" George interrupted.

"_Peeves?_" the Baron spat. "Do I honestly look like I'm going to waste my time with that little swine?"

"Sir," Nina said. "Please, I have a favour to ask you. I'm so sorry to bring this upon you, but could you get Peeves to… well… take the blame for something we did?"

The Bloody Baron chuckled coldly. "And why would I do that?"

"Because—" Nina stuttered. "Because—well, I suppose you _shouldn't_ have to."

"Nina!" George hissed.

"It's just the truth, George," she replied sadly. "We're just being selfish, asking this of him. Let's just leave him to his thoughts. He shouldn't have to do this for us."

The Baron sniffed diligently. "I wouldn't have to. Peeves would jump at the chance to take the blame for any kind of ruckus in the castle. Quite frankly I don't think he even keeps track of his shenanigans anymore."

"You're kidding," said George. "So we've come down here looking for you for no reason?"

"… sorry," Nina whispered.

"Never mind all that, let's just get you—Filch!"

Sure enough, the Squib himself was dashing towards them, his grizzled grey hair sweeping behind him and Mrs Norris leading the way down the hall.

"This ought to be interesting," said the Baron, now sitting down on an invisible chair and crossing his legs as he leaned forward eagerly.

"Gotta hide," George whispered. Suddenly, he stopped. "I don't believe it,"

"What?" Nina hissed.

He turned back to her and pointed to a wooden door in the shadows. "It's a broom cupboard,"

Merlin above, it was like he was asking her permission or something. Nina gave him a begrudging expression as confirmation, and the two slipped into the tiny closet together. She seemed to have forgotten how stocky the twins were from years of playing as Beaters. It was odd having half of her body pressed up against the icy cold stone and the other half squashed against George's torso, and any romantic thoughts in her mind were completely swept away by her total and complete discomfort.

"Well, this is cozy," George whispered, his warm breath tickling her neck. "Good thing you haven't got any sweater puppies to speak of or this might actually be enjoyable."

Shooting him a very dirty, I'm-going-to-murder-you-and-stuff-you-under-the-si nk look, Nina pressed her ear to the wooden door. She heard Filch's muffled voice.

"Where are they, Mrs Norris?" Filch hissed to his cat. Nina gulped. Mrs Norris was much keener to human presences than Filch, and surely the old beast would be able to sniff the two of them out. Nina held her breath. She was so close to George that she could feel his own thumping heartbeat, and she felt as though some kind of invisible force was pulling her head away from the door and to his chest. She hadn't expected him to be so… warm. Suddenly, Filch and Mrs Norris didn't matter anymore. All that mattered to her was that she was stuck in a broom cupboard with George, and he was just inches away from his face.

_Just friends!_ Her thoughts were spinning. _We're just friends, just friends! He's two years older, two years older, two years…_

Mrs Norris's sharp nails on the wooden surface of the door brought her back to reality in a flash, and she realized the awful predicament she was truly in. Mrs Norris had just found them. Filch was inches away from the door handle, inches away from discovering their hiding place. She heard his swift footsteps, and he was surely now reaching out to pull the door open…

"'allo, Filchy-kins!"

There was a loud crunching sound, and Filch roared in anguish. He sounded as though he was about to have a stroke.

"PEEVES, YOU DAMNED PEST!" Filch howled. "I'LL CALL THE HEADMASTER, YOU LITTLE SWINE!"

Peeves cackled, and it sounded as though he was repeatedly throwing various objects at Filch. There was more shouting and devious laughs, and Filch and Peeves' voices disappeared down the corridor, obscenities continuously being hollered.

"I never thought I'd love Peeves more than I do right now." George said with a smile.

"Let's go—we don't have much time." Nina nudged open the creaking door and they squeezed out to find that even the Bloody Baron had left. The dead-end smelled greatly of rotten eggs, and their feet crunched down on eggshells that were now littered on the stone floor. Muttering a word of thanks to Peeves and the Baron, Nina and George rushed down the dungeon hall together, sweat rolling down both of their faces. Finally, they reached the staircase that led to the entrance hall.

"Can you get back from here?" George asked.

"Yeah, go." Nina said.

"Listen, Nina," George said, one foot on the stairs. "Really, it was supposed to go a lot smoother than this."

"No," she said. "George, it was fun. The most fun I've had in a long time. You were right; you two sure do know how to have a good time."

George stared at her for a moment before breaking into his signature, impish grin. He reached out a hand, rustled her hair, and then he was gone. She watched him disappear up the staircase and turned away, an odd feeling situated in her chest. She felt as light as air, and unconsciously ground her teeth nervously at the thought of him. What was it about George that set him apart from his twin? Was it his gentle his touch versus Fred's coarse smacks on the back? The way he stayed behind to put her at ease versus the way Fred dashed away, eager to run from point A to point B? What was it about him that made her feel—and think—in such an alien way?

_He's two years older—he'd never like a girl as tiny and neurotic as you, you'll only get hurt! He wants a girl his age, a girl that can make him laugh; a girl with curves and flowing hair; a girl with bright eyes and a sparkling smile._

This was probably true… but it couldn't hurt to just admire him from afar, right? Just savour what they already had? Yeah, that's what she would do… there was no harm in just watching him; laughing and talking with him.

She smiled to herself, remembering how close they had just been to each other, and made her way down the dark corridor, alone.

Suddenly, George wasn't just George anymore. He was… _ George_. Blistering baboons, this couldn't be good.

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**Reviews are welcome. That's all for now my lovely supporters :)**

**Ciao!**


	13. Nora's Plan

**HERP-A-DERPER DERPER-HERPER DERP.**

**Hello, my lovely readers. So I'm heading off to my granny's for a week and I won't be able to update until about the tenth of August (no promises, I'm terribly unorganized), but we'll get there. I want to get as much done as I can before I go back to school. I'd love to come back to a bunch of feedback, so please review if you have a spare moment, I really would appreciate it. I hope the chapter is all right, I'm still kind of new to the whole romance genre.**

**I discuss height in this chapter; if anyone uses centimetres rather than feet and inches, I'd like to clarify beforehand that 5'11" is about 180 cm. Damn, Nora just grows a little more with every chapter, doesn't she?**

**And in hindsight, I totally failed at Sir Cadogan's dialogue about halfway through the chapter… who knew that I couldn't write medieval dialogue? Aiysh… it took me ten bloody minutes to come up with that one line. Ten. Minutes. If you don't get what he's saying, you should know that Merlin was a Slytherin and he and Sir Cadogan were colleagues. **

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"Oi, _NINA!_"

Nina shouted slightly as her goblet of apple juice slipped out of her hand and clattered to the table, dousing the hardwood in the liquid.

"Bloody hell," Nora said, pointing her wand at the mess. "_Siccus!"_ The pool of juice shrank into nothingness. "You're a right mess today, did you not get enough sleep last night?"

"Huh?" Nora shot her a troubled look. "Oh... no. I mean, yes I got enough sleep. What's up?"

"'_What's up'?_ How about _people are entering the Triwizard Tournament_ for your _what's up_? Nora exclaimed. "I was just asking you if you were finished eating your breakfast yet so we can go watch."

"Oh—oh, sure!" Nina leapt to her feet, shaking away her muddled thoughts. "Let's go!"

"Are you sure you're feeling all right?" Nora asked as the two joined the circle that was gathering around the Goblet of Fire. "You're acting like Looney Lovegood."

Nina shook her head. She felt sick, but it was a wonderful sort of sick. It couldn't be… lovesickness, could it? She shook the thought away again. No, there was absolutely _no way_ that she liked him. She just needed to push him out of her mind, get away from him for a while, and then everything would be fine.

"I'm okay, Nora."

She didn't look convinced.

There was the sound of laughter from just outside the Great Hall and the Weasley twins came bounding in with Lee Jordan, all of them looking ecstatic. Nina's stomach twisted uncomfortably, as though it were trying to digest a rock.

"What're you three so happy about?" Nora asked.

Fred waved a tiny, empty vial temptingly under Nora's nose. "Lee over here's just finished with our precious ageing potion. We just took it."

"You _made_ it? Why didn't you just order it in the mail?" Nora blinked. "I know a couple of sixth years who are trying the same thing."

Fred waved a hand dismissively. "It would take too long... besides, we're broke. Gotta do it the old fashioned way,"

"Besides, what's the fun in ordering it?" George said, giving Nina a knowing grin.

"What?" Nora looked from a blushing Nina to the twins. "Am I missing something here?"

Fred ignored her. "Ready, George?"

"Whenever you are, Fred,"

Fred stepped up to the Age Line with George at his heels and took a deep breath, swinging his arms. Still holding his breath, Fred hopped over the Line and flashed the crowd behind him a grin. George let out a yell of triumph and leapt after his brother—only for the two of them to be shot back into the air ten feet. There was a rather loud _pop_ that echoed in the Hall and the two of the twins sat up with long, white beads that were much like Professor Dumbledore's sprouting from their chins. The hall erupted into laughter that even the twins joined in once they caught sight of each other's beards.

"I did warn you," came Dumbledore's deep, amused voice from the Hall's entrance. "I suggest you both head on up to Madame Pomfrey, who is tending to two other students who thought they would try and age themselves up: Mr Summers, of Hufflepuff, and Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw. Off you go, then,"

Still howling with laughter, Fred, George, and Lee left for the hospital wing.

"Barking," Nora shook her head disapprovingly as she and Nina headed out of the Great Hall. "At least they gave it a go, though. By the way, did you get your Hogsmeade form signed? I've got some pocket money that I want to use on some new winter clothes, Dad says we're in for a cold one this year,"

"I sent it to my mum and she signed it for me," Nina said absent mindedly.

"Mm, I've got to pick up a new coat," Nora said, watching Nina very closely.

"Hmm,"

"I've got to stop by the joke shop, too. Malfoy's being a prat around the common room these days, bullying the first-years and whatnot. Git. Maybe as well give him a taste of his own medicine anyway, eh?"

"Ohh,"

"By the way, I'm eloping with Blaise and we're heading to Cancun. Also, my cat died and I'm ditching you to be best friends with Pansy. Hope you don't mind, love,"

"Yeah, Cancun's really pretty…"

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Nora tugged on Nina's tie, choking her. "Okay, what's up? You're not acting right. Are you sick?" She placed her hand on Nina's forehead. "You're looking a little peaky, if you ask me…"

Nina pulled away from her. "I'm _fine_,"

"Don't give me that tosh!" Nora exclaimed, turning a few heads in the hallway. "Come on, we're going to Pomfrey,"

Nina's face reddened at the thought of the hospital wing; the twins were there as of now, weren't they? She honestly wasn't sure whether she wanted to let Nora drag her upstairs or hide away in the common room for the next thousand years. Again, her stomach churned.

"Blimey, you've gone as red as a tomato," Nora gasped as she stared at Nina in horror. "Oi! Crabbe, Goyle, get over here and make yourselves useful!"

The brutes, who had been lingering with Malfoy and Blaise outside of the Great Hall, turned round and stared at Nora stupidly.

"Nora, please _don't_—"

"She's sick and she won't let me take her upstairs," Nora explained once they had come over. "Carry her, won't you?"

"What's wrong with her?" Malfoy ran his eyes over her. "She looks fine to me,"

"Nobody asked _you_, Malfoy," Nora huffed. She turned to Blaise and muttered, "I think she might be going into one of those… y'know… _episodes_,"

"I am _not!_" Nina said hotly as Crabbe and Goyle took positions on either side of her, grabbing her arms. They would easily snap her arms like twigs without meaning to. "Nora, please just listen to me!"

Nora didn't to appear to have heard her. Feeling angrier at her than she ever had before, Nina squealed slightly as Crabbe and Goyle lifted her off of her feet and Nora directed them up the marble staircase, the bulky figures shoving other students out of the way as they made their way to the hospital wing, Blaise and Draco trailing behind them curiously. Nora burst through the oak doors on the fourth floor landing, startling Madame Pomfrey (who was tending to Fred Weasley's beard and poked him in the eye in surprise with her wand upon their entry).

"Miss Boone, you'll be the death of me someday—what's all this?" Pomfrey gazed concernedly at a wriggling Nina in Crabbe and Goyle's grip.

"She's not well, Madame Pomfrey, you need to take a look at her as soon as you can,"

"What's this?" George appeared from behind his brother, a white beard still hanging down his front. Nina grew stiff at the sight of him. "Nina, I was half expecting you to have one of these puppies when you came in here," He pointed to his chin.

"Oh, put her down, put her down," she waved Crabbe and Goyle away and examined Nina thoroughly, despite her struggles. Fred looked quizzically at Nora, who shot him a worried glance in return.

"She's a bit hot, but it's not a fever," Madame Pomfrey said. "Miss Boone, what made you think she was ill? She seems fine,"

"That's because I _am_," Nina said, glaring at Nora. "I'm not having a stupid _episode_ or whatever,"

The room grew silent at her words; even the twins didn't speak. Even the most antagonistic of people, Malfoy included, avoided the subject of Nina's paranoia and psychosis. Sure, she was much better now, but the fear that she might hack them to little pieces or start bawling was still implemented into everyone's minds.

"Well, _excuse me_ for being worried for you," Nora retorted.

"You _may_ have overreacted, Nora," Blaise said sarcastically. "If I recall correctly, she did say that she was feeling all right _several_ times,"

"You know what, Blaise? Nobody asked you," Nora said haughtily, rounding on him. While Nora stood tall at five-foot-eleven, Blaise was catching up with her fast, now only a few inches shorter than her. Nina felt as though she was surrounded by giants, and this distressed her perhaps more than anything. She turned away from Blaise and Nora, who continued to bicker, and glanced across the room to where Fred and George were still staring at her.

"What?" she mumbled.

"Nothin'," Fred said.

"Y'know, I think I'll keep this thing," George stroked his beard affectionately. "I feel a whole lot wiser than I did fifteen minutes ago. Maybe I could dye it red,"

"Oh, you'll look totally fab, George," Fred mused, smoothing his hand over his clean-cut chin. "Maybe you and Dumbledore can bring ankle-long beards back into style. I always knew you were a trend setter,"

Nina let loose her usual tinkling laugh. "You can't be serious, George,"

"I mean everything I ever say," he said seriously, flipping his long silver beard over his shoulder and strutting to the door. "Come on, brother dear. It's time we showed Hogwarts the meaning of _style_,"

Ignoring Madame Pomfrey's demands that George return to the hospital wing bed to have his beard tended to, the twins led Nina past the commotion and slipped into the hallway.

"I can't believe you've got to put up with that lot all day," Fred said, jerking his head at the closed hospital wing door. "They exhaust me by just watching them."

"They're an eccentric bunch," Nina laughed. "But I know what you mean, sometimes Nora just gets a bit out of control.

"—A GREAT BIT PRAT, YOU KNOW THAT, BLAISE? SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO HELP ME OUT OR EVEN CARED, HUH?" Nora's angry shouts were hard not to hear.

"What're you two going to do about funding the joke shop now?" Despite him being right beside her as they left the fourth floor corridor, Nina didn't draw her eyes up to George's face. She was afraid that if she did she wouldn't be able to look away. She focused on Fred instead; blimey, she was being ridiculous. They were _identical_ after all.

"There's still Bagman," said George hopefully.

"Don't count on it, the git's been avoiding us since last night," Fred grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. He acted like such a kid sometimes, really, like a small boy who'd been denied a toy he had wanted. He was like a whirlwind of emotion, unstoppable and in constant motion, bursting with energy and life.

From behind them, the hospital wing door could be heard slamming open and Nora storming down the hallway with a furious air. She caught up with them just as they came to the third floor landing.

"Unbelievable little twit… thinks he's all that…" Nora was grumbling. "Stupid, selfish, arrogant little…"

"You were only doing what you thought was best for Nina," George said sagely, twisting his beard in his finger tips.

"_Exactly!_" Nora said. Before she could continue, however, George spoke again.

"Then again, Blaise was doing the same, wasn't he?" he told her gently, easing her out of her flaring temper. George had a kind of talent of easing people out of their frustrations and anxiety, that's how he and Fred balanced each other out perfectly. A conversation with him was anything but shallow, and left you pondering the deepest realms of your own mind long after he had left you alone. Fred was a talker and George a thinker, yet their ambitions and senses of humour were equal; simple as that. "It's not worth the fight, in my opinion. If Nina's all right, there's really no reason to bitch at each other."

Nora exhaled heavily. "I guess so… Blimey, classes start in ten minutes! I've got to get to Herbology,"

"I might just try to age myself up again so we match, George," Fred said to his brother enviously. "I'm riddled with jealousy, you know."

"Come off it, Fred, there's no way you could pull off this look."

"Yeah, I don't think I've got the right face for it. It's a bit spotty," He laughed as he turned round and disappeared through the third floor landing.

"Who're you calling spotty, you sodding git?" George called after him, tossing his beard over his shoulder and darting after him.

"Come on, I've got to get to class," Nora stared at her watch nervously, tugging at Nina's arm. She dug her heels into the ground, peering after George's figure and sighing. Nora looked at her oddly. "What?"

"Hm?"

Nora watched her suspiciously, and then her mouth dropped open. She gazed at the place where George disappeared, then back at Nina, and made an odd groaning noise. "I don't believe it!" She suddenly shrieked with laughter. "_I_ _don't believe it!_"

"W-what?" Nina said anxiously as Nora continued to laugh heartily. "Stop laughing—what're you—?"

"You're sicker than I thought," Nora interrupted, wagging a teasing finger in her face. "I should have known it; you've got this dreamy look in your eyes,"

"Nora, I don't—"

"Lovesick!" she exclaimed as she slid down the railing of the marble staircase and onto the second floor landing below. "You're telling me everything at dinner, no objections!"

Before Nina could shout back a reply, she felt her face pale. Was it that obvious? If Nora, who was often thicker than a cauldron bottom, was able to figure it out, then it would only be a matter of time before George…

Oh, no.

* * *

For the next week, however, Nora didn't once confront her about her newfound feelings. Sure, she would shoot her a cheeky grin now and then, but it's not like she was grovelling at her feet for details and giggling like Pansy Parkinson would often do. Nina couldn't help but become suspicious after a while, though. Knowing Nora, she was probably scheming something that was meant to help Nina with her romantic advances, but it would surely end with disastrous results. That was usually how Nora's eccentric ploys ended up; a burning pile of rubbish. There really was no point in trying to stop her, though. Once she got into the routine of one of her plans, she was like a train flying off the rails. It was the weekend after the champions (including the surprise competitor—guess who—Harry bleeding Potter) had been chosen from the Goblet of Fire when Nina had made her way into the castle with the rest of the Slytherins, their fingers numb and noses red from Care of Magical Creatures class they endured in the freezing November rain.

"I can see the skrewts warmed you up a bit, Draco," Daphne Greengrass said to Draco as they came into the entrance hall.

"Dumbledore's really gone off his rocker if he's honestly keeping that blundering moron as the teacher," Malfoy sneered, cradling his slightly charred and bleeding fingers. "Wait until my father hears about this…"

"How the hell are _your_ fingers still intact?" Mafalda Prewett, the daughter of a Squib and a Muggle, muttered dangerously as she scanned Nina's unblemished hands loathsomely.

Nina shrugged happily. "Professor Hagrid says I've got a gift with beasts. Besides, the skrewts love me."

Mafalda ran a hand through her coarse ginger hair. "Well, you're _more_ than welcome to go ahead and take mine—don't look now, but Boone the Loon is headed straight for us."

Sure enough, Nora's loud voice was booming through the enormous hall as she jumped the remaining stairs of the marble staircase and bounded happily towards them.

"HELLO NINA!" she called happily. "Oh. Hello, _Blaise_," she sneered.

Blaise rolled his eyes at her. Apparently whatever happened in the hospital wing last week was not forgotten.

"Listen," Nora said, dragging Nina away from the other fourth-years. "You've got to come with me—big news—you won't believe it—" She said all of this very quickly, an excited gleam shining in her eyes.

"Can't I put my bag away—?"

"No time!" Nora exclaimed, pulling her towards the marble staircase. "C'mon, c'mon!"

"Nora!" Nina gasped five minutes later, as they came to the seventh floor. "What—are we—doing—here—?"

"Come on, it's just down this way," Nora called back to her as she sped down the seventh floor corridor. "Near the Gryffindor common room—hurry _up!_"

Coming across many confused and sneering faces of passing Gryffindors, Nora and Nina eventually arrived at a very large, mouldy-looking bookcase across from Sir Cadogan's large portrait.

"Salutations, fair pupils of Merlin!" his deep, ragged voice boomed across the hall.

"He's a bit of a nutter," Nora muttered as she pushed in a slightly ajar, scarlet book and the bookcase creaked open. "All right, just through here."

"Nora, where exactly are we going?" Nina demanded, but with no reply. She followed Nora inside, avoiding the curious gazes that followed her, and came into what looked like a dingy storage room, several dusty wooden chests and old portrait frames littered around the stone floor. In the middle of the cobweb-strewn room, their faces lit by the small stream of light the flooded through a hopper window near the ceiling, were Lee Jordan and Fred Weasley, their eyebrows singed from the game of exploding snap they were playing.

"Ah, there she is! The woman of the hour!" Lee said brightly, beckoning Nina towards him. "Got a spare moment? We were just going to go into the second trial."

Suddenly, from behind them, Nora cleared her throat. "Mind putting that away? We've got something to discuss, after all."

"Nora?" Nina said quietly. "Nora, what're you—?"

"Have a seat, Nina, dear," said Fred, patting the empty bit of stone floor next to him. She turned round to look at him and saw it; a brazen, almost saucy gleam in his dark eyes. Looking from one of the boys to the other, she noticed that they both had the same cheeky, knowing grin spread on their faces.

"What is this place?" she said slowly, settling down next to Fred.

"Cadogan's Nook," Nora said immediately.

Lee rolled his eyes. "Nora, you just came up with that name five minutes ago, _nobody_ else calls this place that,"

"But it's got a nice ring to it, wouldn't you say?" Fred said.

"So… uhm… where's George?" It was rare to see the brothers parted from each other.

"He's around." Fred grinned.

"Bet you'd like him to be here though, eh Brimstone?" Lee said.

"You'll have to settle for me, I'm afraid," Fred's grin grew ever wider as he shifted himself closer to Nina, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Her stomach clenched in horror.

"What… what's that supposed to mean?" her voice was barely audible. Her gazed latched onto Nora, who was still standing. "What is this?"

"I'm getting to that, hold your horses, girl." she said coolly. She straightened herself out as though she were preparing herself for a speech. "Ahem. You've all been called here, and for good reason. I've taken all of our dear friend Nina's confidantes and shoved them all into this here room to discuss… well, I'm sure you already know what we're here to discuss."

"Just spit it out already," Lee said. "Nina's going to have a stroke soon if you don't,"

"Oh, okay. I was just trying to be dramatic," She took a breath. "Nina, we've all been discussing your love life, and we feel it's time to take a course of action,"

There was a moment of silence in which three pairs of eyes were all set intently on Nina, anticipating her reply. Her heart skipped a beat; she was sure that, had her mouth been full of liquid, it would be currently doused over half the room's contents. She felt herself shake with rage; Nina's teeth clamped tightly, her eyebrows knit together, it felt as though every ounce of blood in her body had just rushed to her head in a single instant.

"Here it comes," said Fred, scooting away from her.

"WHAT?!" she screamed, bolting upright and storming towards Nora. "NORA—YOU—YOU TOLD? HOW COULD YOU? WHY CAN'T YOU, FOR ONCE, KEEP THAT HUGE MOUTH SHUT? WHAT DID YOU SAY?" She pulled her wand from her cloak and jabbed it at her chest. "WHAT DID YOU TELL THEM?"

"Nina," Lee said quietly. "Ca—"

"SAY IT!" she roared, now aiming her wand at Lee, who had his hands raised defensively and a look of sheer terror on his face. "TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, SEE WHERE IT GETS YOU, YOU DUMB GIT! AND _YOU_—" She turned to Fred, who looked incredibly surprised.

"What?" he cried. "What did I—"

"DON'T—SAY—ANYTHING. IF YOU GIVE ME THAT CHEEKY GRIN _ONCE_, FREDERICK VINCENT WEASLEY, YOU ARE _DEAD!_"

"Nina," said Nora calmly, who hadn't wavered once since her tirade began. "If you want to hex me, go ahead. But you should know that I didn't tell without good reason,"

Nina rounded furiously on Nora, her eyes flashing dangerously, a jinx at the ready. Nora didn't so much as flinch as Nina aimed her wand between her eyes. Rather, there was some kind of wisdom settled in those emerald pools. Nina stood there, heaving and shaking ferociously, and her hesitation became evident. With a bead of sweat now racing down her face, Nina exhaled deeply and lowered her wand.

"There we are," said Fred, patting her back sympathetically. "Let it all out; don't bottle it up, now,"

"Why?" Nina whispered tearfully. She felt betrayed, backstabbed by one of the few people in the world that she trusted.

"Because we've come up with a plan," Nora muttered; it was odd to hear her voice so smooth and quiet.

"Why the bloody hell do we need a _plan?_" Nina demanded. "A plan for _what?_"

"Nina…" Lee began gently, his hands still raised. "Look—it's fine that you like George—" She flinched slightly, eyeing Fred nervously. He beamed at her, to her relief. "—Nora knew that you wouldn't try anything without a little push, so she rounded us up and told us,"

"Which I am _not_ happy about," She glared and Nora.

Nora shrugged. "Come on, it's not like you'd let me do it _with _your permission anyway."

"And _anyway_," Lee said quickly, dispersing any arising anger. "Nora came up with the idea—Nina, we've set you up on a date with him,"

Nina's wand clattered to the floor as she gaped in horror.

"Don't worry, don't worry! We didn't tell _George_, of course," said Lee, handing her back her wand. "Nora planned it all out."

"I sure did," Nora's voice was inked with pride. "So this is what's going to happen: Nina, you're going to go to the Three Broomsticks with Fred and George, and then Fred's going to run on an emergency—"

"No, Nora," Nina said.

"What d'you mean _no?_" Nora sounded aghast. "Nina, we've spent the last week planning this out, the least you could do is listen to us,"

"No, look," Nina sighed heavily. "I appreciate it… I guess… but I don't need—"

"So you're telling me that you're going to go out there and confess to him?" Nora said angrily, pointing at the back of the now-closed bookshelf. "Go on and turn around, see if you can say it to the guy who has the same face as him. Go on,"

Nina glanced back over her shoulder to Fred, who had his eyebrows raised. "Nora, it's not the same. _They're_ not the same."

"Come on, just for practice. Or are you going to let us actually help you?"

"You're not some hare-brained matchmaker, Nora!" Nina yelled.

"I am now!" Nora said triumphantly.

"Look, _no!_" Nina yelled tearfully. She didn't _want_ to confess to him or whatever, and she certainly didn't need Nora being so pushy about something she wasn't even one hundred percent sure about. "All of you just _please_ leave me alone! I'm not saying anything to him and that's final, okay?"

"Nina, come on," Lee coaxed.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Nina said haughtily as she stormed out of the storage room, leaving Nora, Fred and Lee alone.

After a moment of silence, Fred spoke, "New plan?"

"New plan," Nora confirmed. "Okay, scrap the Three Broomsticks idea. Here's what's going to happen…"

* * *

**And that's the end of this chapter! I said I'd do a shout-out, so here it is:**

**Chocolate chip cookies and a pat on the back to everyone who has followed and favourited this story; you guys are seriously the bomb!**

**An enormous Dairy Queen cake each and hugs to the following people: IceWolfcat, Shadrilyx, GoodNaughtyGirl, RosesInJamJars, xxsillywillyxx, Cryptix, Apocolips, Monkey Mayhem, Sky65, percychased and nessafly. YOU ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.**

**And finally, I dedicate my soul, heart and every deliciously greasy restaurant franchise in the world to a few very special people: the hilarious antiquitas, the amazing VeraWhite, and the totally fab Lise and Elle from their joint account, basicwannabes. You guys have especially made writing this fic such a special experience, and I can't thank you all enough for your support!**

**Until next time. Ciao!**


	14. The Breach of Trust, Love

**Just a bit of a warning: this… even by MY standards… is a dark chapter. Viewer discretion is advised.**

**So we haven't seen much of Cecilia much since the first chapter! Well, now we're going to get inside her head a bit. I personally found the change of viewpoint refreshing, I hope you guys are thinking along the same lines. The Yule Ball is going to be so, so much fun to write… gosh, I'm excited for it.**

**And this chapter is probably more dramatic than the chapters that Nina went cray-cray in the forest, to be completely honest. Ah, only teenage angst can occur during the approaching of the Yule Ball. I hope you all read till the end; that's the best part, in my opinion. Let the man-stealing ploys and wizard angst begin!**

* * *

It had been two weeks since the First Task was completed by the Triwizard Tournament competitors when the Heads of House each came trouncing into the common rooms, announcing a forthcoming event that greatly excited the girls in the castle and irked the boys. Cecilia Wicker and her friend Beatrice were both situated in the Hufflepuff common room when this occurred, Fred and George just having slid down one of the many slides that led into the belly of the common room, their faces slightly dusty and their ginger hair looking tousled.

"All right, Cecilia?" George said, flopping down on the couch next to her. She sighed heartily and snapped her Charms textbook closed, causing Beatrice to jump slightly and the nail file she was using on her fingers to slip to the floor.

"You'd better hope that a Prefect doesn't catch you two down here or it'll mean expulsion," she said warningly. "How you even found out how to enter our common room I may never know…"

"They've never caught us yet, have they?" Fred grinned, examining a large potted plant on the coffee table before him that looked rather much like a yellow and pink cactus. "So, have you heard the news yet?"

"What news?" Beatrice asked.

"Dunno yet?" George smirked. "McGonagall just told us. Sprout should be arriving any minute now, I expect."

Sure enough, the plump witch herself came bustling into the common room just then and Fred and George took refuge behind a group of rather tall seventh years as Professor Sprout beamed around at them.

"I am to inform you all," she said happily, patting some dust off of her tan robes as she spoke. "Of a very unique, special tradition that comes along with the Triwizard Tournament; the Yule Ball will be held on Christmas day, and all in their fourth year and above are invited to spend the winter holidays here in the castle in order to enjoy the festivities,"

Sprout stood there, beaming still, and then posted a very lengthy piece of parchment on the notice board, which students would sign if they fancied staying in the castle for the holidays. The Hufflepuffs flooded to the notice board seemingly all together, clambering for spare quills and hastily jotting their names down at the first chance they could.

"Ooh, a ball!" Beatrice squeaked, positively delighted. "No _wonder_ we were to bring dress robes—it was on our school list, remember Lia? I don't know if mine are pretty enough, though, I might have to buy some new ones…"

Cecilia's head was swimming as she stared at the side of George's head as he sleepily watched Beatrice drone on about dresses and shoes and dates. Ball? Date? Surely this was her chance… he caught her eye and she smiled brightly at him, and he returned it without hesitating.

"So who're you going to go with?" he asked.

"What? Oh—" Cecilia pursed her lips. Fred was now watching her very closely, his eyes slightly narrowed. "Well… I only just found out, didn't I?" she said. "What about you? Have you got a date yet, George?"

"Nah, I'm not really sure if I want to ask anyone yet," George stretched out on the couch comfortably. Man, this boy was thick.

"I'm sure the right girl is waiting for you," Cecilia pressed, leaning forward slightly. "She could be right under your nose and you wouldn't know it."

"Yeah…" George mused. Fred seemed to be suppressing a great roll in his eyes. Beatrice had fallen silent, too, and was now watching Beatrice intently, egging her on with her eyes.

"_Some_ people are so old fashioned… waiting for the _guy_ to ask and all, when _they_ could go ahead and ask themselves. I'm talking about the girls, of course." said Beatrice stiffly, not taking her eyes of Cecilia.

"Hey," Cecilia sighed. "Listen, George, d'you think—"

"Blimey! Look at the time!" Fred shouted suddenly, gazing intently at his wrist. "Mate, we've got to get going. We made those plans with Lee, remember?"

"Plans?" George pondered. "I don't remember…"

"Probably stressed from all the experimenting we've been doing, no wonder he doesn't remember a thing," said Fred sadly, pulling his twin up from the couch. "Well, ciao all."

As they left, Cecilia glared daggers at Fred's retreating back, her teeth gritted.

"Blimey, Lia, you look… scary," said Beatrice timidly.

"I don't think our friend Fred approves of my feelings much."

"Why d'you say that?" Beatrice asked, picking up her nail file again and setting to work on her toes.

"Because Fred doesn't have a watch,"

* * *

"I _hate_ Snape!" Beatrice wailed as she and Cecilia entered the Great Hall for breakfast, both of them dreading their next class. "He's horrible, and all those potions in the morning give me a headache for the rest of the day,"

"There, there, Beatrice," said Cecilia consolingly as they took seats at the Hufflepuff table. "At least you're on his good side… er… well, I don't think he has a _good_ side per se, but you're not on his _bad_ side, at least," she glanced to the other table to catch a glimpse of George and found his brother with two other students, all of them laughing at a joke that was just told. She looked back to her breakfast plate and then did a double take; she recognized, horror-struck, the much too tall, slender figure of a girl and her usual cohort, a small short-haired girl with a black and green uniform.

"It's Boone the Loon…" she muttered to Beatrice as she stood, her friend following her lead.

"And _Brimstone_," Beatrice said unpleasantly, eyeing her with disgust. "Two crazies in one room, it's like living in a madhouse, it is…"

Cecilia and Beatrice whisked away to the Gryffindor table, edging ever closer to the crazies and the twins. In a rather loud, high-pitched, sweet voice, Cecilia called out, "Hi, you four!"

Nora spun around on the spot, her eyes narrowing down on Cecilia and Beatrice, her hand hovering over her cloak pocket as though expecting a duel.

"Hello," Nina said quietly, shuffling her feet slightly while looking at Cecilia bashfully. Cecilia smiled coldly at her.

"Heard about the upcoming Yule Ball, have you ladies?" Cecilia said in her girlish tone. "Got dates yet? Or any _ideals?_"

Nina's eyes quickly flickered towards George as she turned bright red, her eyes fixated on her shoes. Cecilia felt disgusted. There was no way that she actually… no, it couldn't be true. She resisted the temptation to snort; there was no way this girl, scrawny with hair as short as a boy's, would be able to compete with _her_. She had no interest in modesty; she knew very well that she was quite beautiful, the boys that constantly flocked to her and flirted with her were evidence enough of that. She just needed to be direct with George, that was all. With a triumphant puff of her chest, Cecilia turned to him, beaming.

"Hey, still dateless?"

"As ever," said George slowly, his eyebrows rising.

"Cool. Want to go with me?"

He looked momentarily shocked, as though he thought the probability of a dragon bursting through the castle walls and eating half the students was far more likely than Cecilia asking him out.

"Oh. Uh, sure, Cecilia,"

"Excellent," she turned back to Nina, who was also looking somewhat shocked, and grinned impishly. Feeling it would be best to leave before Boone the Loon jinxed her out of sheer rage, she turned on her heel and walked swiftly back to her table with Beatrice, her long sandy curls billowing behind her.

* * *

For the next two days, Nora was acting as though _she_ had been on the other end of Cecilia's wrath, and she seemed to be taking it much worse than Nina. It was almost scary to look at her; a permanent glare resided in her face and she somewhat resembled Professor Snape as she stalked the halls angrily, eyeballing any passing students menacingly. She seemed to have, quite simply, lost her marbles; she muttered obscenities whenever she and Nina walked down the halls together, and she even took to shouting at a timid-looking group of first-year Hufflepuffs as they passed them in the hall one day.

"Nora, you're acting silly," Nina said breathlessly at the end of the second day as they met in the common room to head off to dinner together. "It's not like you were hoping to go to the Ball with George or anything. And I wasn't even planning on asking him in the first place!"

"But you were _supposed_ to slow dance with him! And share your first kiss with him!" Nora cried feverishly. "Oh, Nina, I had it all planned out for you; you were going to arrive at the Ball in a stunning dress, and I was going to curl your hair and put make-up on you…"

Nina, who had hardly any hair to speak of, moaned as she flopped down into her usual seat for dinner, across from a googly-eyed Nora. She buried her red face in her hands. Even _she_ hadn't fantasized about… _kissing_ him… or whatever. A tight knot formed in her stomach at the though of her trying to dance with George, and instead treading on his feet. As she stared at her untouched pulled-pork sandwich, Blaise settled down next to her, looking anywhere but Nora, who was studying a Potions textbook surprisingly carefully as she stuffed her sandwiches down her throat. Nina nudged him with her shoulder encouragingly.

"What?"

"You know _what_," Nina said softly. "Go on, Blaise, just ask her,"

Blaise was straightening out his tie and opening his mouth just as Nora interrupted him.

"Y'know," she said loudly, apparently not having heard Nina and Blaise's hushed conversation. "Nina, we are two strong, independent young women."

"Er… right," said Nina.

"What's the point in getting hung up over this stuff, eh?" Her eyes brightened. "Yeah… we don't _need_ dates, we can go together, you and I! It'll be fun; we can dance together as friends. _Some_ people," She shot a rather nasty, disgusted look at Cecilia Wicker, who was happily yapping away to her friends at the Hufflepuff table. "Are desperate for dates… I suppose it's a confidence issue or whatever. But we don't need any of it, eh Nina? But God do I _loathe_ her… _them!_" She gripped her fork with dangerous strength, and Nina was sure she was imagining plunging it into the back of Cecilia's head. "Ugh, they're a useless bunch, aren't they? Did I mention that I _HATE—_"

"Er—hello?"

From behind them stood a very tall, very handsome-looking Hufflepuff fifth-year, his light eyes shining like jewels in the candlelight. "Nora? Nora Boone?"

"What?" Nora muttered grumpily without looking up, butchering her sandwich.

"I dunno if you remember me or not, Miss Boone, but I do believe we have Charms together."

Nora's eyes snapped upwards suddenly, and a broad grin stretched across her face. "Hey, long time no talk, Peach!"

Blaise snorted into his cup loudly. "_Peach?_" he simpered.

"That's right. Kevin Peach," Peach said, slightly annoyed. "But honestly, it's been too long since we last partnered up,"

"Gosh, it was such a riot with you last year," Nora said cheerfully, her eyes swimming with reminiscence. "Come, come! Sit!"

"Can't, I've got to run and finish my supper." he said. "But listen, I was wondering… Nora," he took a deep breath and said very quickly, "Nora, I think you're really interesting and pretty and fun and I'd love it if you were my dance partner… for the Yule Ball. That is, if you're still available, I won't be surprised if you're not…" He trailed off, rubbing his hand through his white blonde hair nervously, a rather bashful look on his handsome face.

Nora gaped; Blaise looked as though he'd been sentenced the death penalty.

"Of—of course! I'd love to grow—_go_ with you," Nora said breathlessly. "Yes!"

"Excellent," Kevin smiled again, and Nora flushed a deep scarlet. "See you then, Miss Boone,"

"'Miss Boone'?" Nora giggled once he was gone from earshot. "Wow… he really is kind of… cute, huh? And tall, too!"

"I thought you hated Hufflepuffs," said Blaise coldly, his plate still empty.

"Don't be ridiculous." she said dreamily. "They're wonderful and kind people, how could you ever hate a…"

Blaise snorted, crossing his arms. "Shallow as ever, _Miss Boone_; mind if I call you that, too? Bet you'd fall for any guy who comes up with something as lame as that. You're pretty easy, aren't you, Boone? I bet—"

"Enough." Nina said sharply.

"No, no," Blaise continued maliciously. "_Miss Boone_ over here can take it. She's _all that_, after all. She'll probably just go mad like she usually does, start a riot in the Great Hall—what the—?"

To their great surprise, rather than become angry as she usually did, Nora's beautiful eyes were sparkling with tears, her cheeks streaming with them. Her lips trembled fiercely as she sniffed. "Why… would you say that?" she whispered shakily.

Blaise seemed at a loss for words as Nora jumped up from her seat and scurried from the Great Hall, her long plait disappearing last into the darkness of the dungeon staircase. Nina rounded on Blaise fiercely.

"How could you?" she hissed, shaking with rage. "To say such awful things, just because you didn't have the courage to ask her out first? Because you missed out on a wonderful opportunity with a wonderful girl…?"

Blaise said nothing, a grey tinge to his dark skin. He wheeled around and joined Malfoy. Realizing that Nora hadn't finished her dinner, Nina pulled two more pulled-pork sandwiches from the tray before her and hurried towards the dungeons. Perhaps she'd be in a bathroom, or the common room…?

As she came to the foot of the staircase and entered the cool dungeons, Nina heard low voices at the other end of the otherwise deserted corridor. Two familiar voices sounded in the hallway. She ducked behind a pillar and listened in.

"—say that to me, how could he? We're f-friends! Or we _were_ friends… I guess I thought wrong, I'm so stupid…" sobbed the weepy voice of Nora.

"He's jealous," said Kevin Peach, who must have hurried out of the Great Hall after her to comfort her. Nina was surprised to hear such tenderness in his tone, as though he'd known Nora since they were children. "He's jealous because he couldn't land a date with you, because he lost someone as great as you."

"I'm n-not great or anything, Kev," she said. "I'm loud and too tall and clumsy and—"

"Interesting," Kevin said firmly. "Nora, you've got spunk and personality that no other girl in this could ever dream of competing with. You're… _different_."

"You really think so?" she whispered.

"Nora, I…"

There was silence, and Nina's stomach flopped. Hating herself somewhat, she peeked around the pillar as saw her best friend's face, still tear streaked, pulled to Kevin's and locked in what must have been a very wet, though tender, kiss. Nina rushed away back up the stairs, suddenly guilty for eavesdropping, and bumped into none other than Lee Jordan, who was heading up to Gryffindor Tower.

"Don't mind if I do," He pulled a sandwich out of Nina's hand, even though she had not offered him one.

"Hi, Lee," Nina muttered.

"Don't look so glum, Nina. There's plenty of other fish in the sea, y'know." He patted her on the back sympathetically as they sat together on the steps of the marble staircase.

"Don't even _remind me_," she said, her head suddenly aching. It was as though every feeling she was capable of was parading through her in some horrible marching band of confusion. Did she even want another fish? Or did she want what was surely _her_ fish, the fish that Cecilia had taken from her? Or had she been trying to take Cecilia's fish…? She was suddenly very hungry and she took a large bite out of her cold sandwich.

"_Everyone's_ got a date for this stupid ball already, and it's only been a couple of days. Unless… Lee, do you—"

"Alicia Spinnet," he said plainly. "We said we'd go together this morning."

"What about that Fallon Bomburger girl?"

Lee snorted and rolled her eyes. "Let's just say she wanted to do a lot more than just snogging."

"Sex?" Nina questioned.

"Of course not," Lee said pointedly. "A _relationship_. Can't imagine anything worse than being tied down… eugh,"

"Okay, well, what about Fred? We could go as friends,"

"He's going with Angelina."

"Well, fine!" she said angrily, springing to her feet. "Then I guess I'll go with Neville Longbottom's toad. Maybe if I kiss it, it'll turn into a worthwhile date!"

"There are always Crabbe and Goyle," Lee said hopefully.

He narrowly avoided the remnants of Nina's pulled-pork sandwich that flew directly at his head as she stormed downstairs.

* * *

Nina was devoid of all her usual soft-spoken and polite nature as December arrived and remained positively sour, though she forced a smile when Nora had announced that she and Kevin Peach were officially dating. This was all well and good, except for the fact that Nora was spending more time than ever hanging out with Kevin and less with her. Nina, however, was not the only one in a foul mood; Blaise would often watch Nora kiss Kevin goodbye whenever he escorted her to the Slytherin common room from the shadows with a very dark, horrible look on his face. Cecilia was often dragging George away from their hang out sessions, which left only Fred, Nina and Lee behind. Fred just somehow wasn't the same without George to balance him out; his energy would become too much for even him to handle and he would frequently snap at people or exhaust them to a point in which they didn't want to see him ever again.

"He's a lot to handle," Lee was telling Nina as they hid out one afternoon in Cadogan's Nook, stroking his large pet tarantula and tossing live crickets out of a bag at it, letting it catch them and feast down upon them ravenously. "ADHD or something, maybe. It's like he hasn't got an off-switch."

Suddenly, from behind them, the bookcase slid open and he popped in, his ginger hair rather messy and a wild look situated in his eyes.

"Oh, Lord," Lee jumped up, cradling his tarantula away from him. "Look, Fred, we're real sorry about leaving you down there with Peeves, but Nina and I don't really fancy sword fights that much…"

"Shut up, you git, I'm not Fred," said George, shutting the bookcase closed behind him.

"Oh, thank God!" Lee cried. "George, you gotta stop running off with your girlfriend; he's mad, I don't know how you do it. Does—does he ever _sleep?_"

George snorted. "Try and wake him up at seven o'clock on a Saturday and you'll find out. He's just the go-go type by daylight, I suppose."

"What are you doing here?" Nina asked, examining him. "And why do you look so…" she stopped. She had wondered if they were bruises of some sort, but realized—to her horror—that George was covered in pink lipstick stains all over his neck and face.

"Blimey, George, you've certainly been getting some action,"

George looked exhausted as he flopped down on the floor, taking Lee's tarantula and playing with its spindly legs. "I've been friends with her for ages, I honestly dunno how I didn't see it before. Apparently she's been flirting with me since _forever_, according to her."

"Cecilia's a fine bird," said Lee, nervously glancing back at a reproachful Nina. "Er—I mean, you don't look very happy is all, mate."

"I don't mind snogging a pretty girl," George admitted, half-glancing at Nina. "But… I didn't think I'd actually take it seriously, but mum's right. What's between the ears _is_ more important than what's between the legs—I mean lips. I'm speaking long term, 'course,"

"Blimey, is she mad or something?"

"No, no," George dismissed casually, looking slightly embarrassed. "It's just… well…"

"What?" Nina and Lee said together.

"She's such a… _girl_."

"What were you expecting?"

"She took me to this place in Hogsmeade the other day… horribly pink, ribbons everywhere," George looked as though he was recounting the scene of a murder. "Tea was awful, too. Couples snogging everywhere you looked, and she's just… waiting for something, I dunno. Then she got mad at me because I wanted to leave."

"Well… it does sound quite awful," Nina said quietly, and they looked round at her. "I'm not a big fan of pink… or ribbons."

"Yes, well, it gets worse." George continued solemnly. "She wants me to sit at the Hufflepuff table with her and her friends and do all these corny… _love_ things."

"What kind of love things?" Lee asked gently, as though asking a child where the bad man had touched them on a doll in court.

"Merlin, she wanted to go on a double-date with some bloke and bird I don't even know. And dancing lessons… they actually have them in Hogsmeade. I mean, I can _dance_… sort of… but ballroom dancing? With some old woman following us around and counting our steps?"

"Learning the tango might not be half bad," Nina joked grimly.

George, however, looked as though he would never laugh again.

"But you've got to go to the Yule Ball with her." said Lee.

"Yup," George chewed his cheek. "It's been a week and she's saying all of these _I love you_'s and expecting me to say them back and… I mean, I guess I do love her, but all this time I've thought of her as my sister, you know? My friend! Not—well… I dunno…"

More silence. Then,

"Maybe you should break up, if you don't like her." Nina suggested.

"It's not that I don't like her." George began, massaging his temples and henceforth smudging some lipstick around his face. "Of course I like her. She's one of my oldest friends."

"Maybe so," Nina began again. "But George, she's torturing you. You look ridiculous, come here,"

She had attempted to pull a handkerchief out of her pocket and clean up George's face, but he swatted her away. He was devoid of his usual patience and seemed to be in a worse mood than usual. She felt angry that he was going to stay with her, someone who she had lost to… had she been quicker, George might have been hers...

She felt as though a horrible, jealous witch had replaced her old self, and she was more on edge than ever. Angrily, she thrust the handkerchief down, glaring at George.

"Fine!" she huffed. "Suffer if you want to, George. No one's _making_ you take our advice and ditch the broad."

"She is not a _broad_." George said hotly, glaring at her. She felt heated under his fiery gaze, but she did not care. George was now standing and facing her. She stepped up to him, angrier than she had been all week.

"She _is_, and she's taking all your dignity away from you. Or maybe you like all her makeup on you… maybe you like being her little boy toy, huh?"

"Uh—hey—" Lee said feebly. "Guys—"

"I'm not going to let a snot rag little girl like you tell me how _I'm_ feeling, thank you very much," he said, his voice like ice, lacking any of its usual cheer and warmth.

_Little girl?_ She was suddenly extremely conscious of the fact that he was a head and a half taller than her. Oh, if only she could be Nora for a day, just one…

"Maybe if you weren't so dirt poor you could afford some manners!" Nina shouted.

George laughed coldly. "Poor jokes? Real original!"

Just then, Fred slid sideways through the bookcase.

"Found you, you prat!" he called happily to Lee, who was looking ominous. "You can't get rid of Fred Weasley—uh, what's going on?"

"Fine, if you're taking pokes at me, then I'll go ahead and do you the honours!" George snarled. "Maybe—just maybe—if you'd stop letting people walk all over you all the time, you'd actually gain some respect!"

Her thoughts were whirling. She wanted to scream and hit and hex George with all of her might, but her legs and arms seemed to have turned to lead. Blood was pumping furiously to her head. All she could do stand there, loathing him with every fibre of her being, and listen as he went on to abash her further.

"George—" Fred began loudly, but he was cut off by his furious brother.

"MAYBE IF YOU HADN'T GONE AND ATTACKED MY BROTHER LIKE SOME AZBKABAN ESCAPEE, PEOPLE WOULD ACTUALLY THINK YOU WERE HALF WAY DECENT! BUT WHO WOULD EVER NOTICE SOMEONE AS TINY—AS PATHEITC—AS YOU?!"

George's words cut through her like she was butter. It was all coming back in a horrible cluster of memories, and a horribly familiar voice rang through her head.

**_He's right, you know. Horribly pathetic, disgustingly so…_**

She wanted to scream, but she felt as though she was frozen. She prayed that George was done, that maybe they could quiet down and hug it out; she couldn't even remember what they were fighting about now…

"MAYBE IF YOU WEREN'T SUCH A CRAZY BITCH, BRIMSTONE, PEOPLE WOULD ACTUALLY LIKE YOU!"

He had said it, the words she had been dreading. She was sure her face was oddly slack now, sure that George had won this shouting contest. He legs wobbled; she felt sick.

**_He said it! The man you love said it himself, you're unlovable! A disease, a parasite!_**

"Shut up…" she whispered dully, now swaying back and forth. George was still before her, swelling with rage. She felt someone's hand close around her arm. Was she seeing double, or was Fred now stepping next to George, trying to calm him?

"YOU—YOU—" Nina snarled, struggling to make her voice louder than she was used to. "YOU JERK!"

She had lashed out, not with her wand, but with her hand, and smacked George in the chest. She glared up at him, hoping he'd hit back, craving the moment that he would strike her back so she would have a proper excuse to beat him into mince…

"YOU'RE DISGUSTING! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" Nina screamed, tears brimming her eyes now.

"GO THEN!" George spat as Fred pulled him back. "GET OUT OF OUR SIGHT!"

_"NO!"_ She pushed away Lee, who had tried to calm her. "I DON'T CARE IF YOU KILL YOURSELF, GEORGE, I DON'T CARE IF YOU DIE! I—DON'T—"

**_It's so simple, the solution, and surely you can't fail…you know what it is, you know it! You know how to make him, and everyone else around you, happy!_**

She pulled away from Lee and lumbered toward the door, voices swimming in her head and white splotches appearing before her eyes. She couldn't hear the others over the racket in her head… one voice stuck out most of all.

**_KILL YOURSELF!_**

She slid the bookcase open and walked out, her knees shaking uncontrollably.

**_KILL YOURSELF! KILL YOURSELF! KILL YOURSELF! KILL YOURSELF!_**

**_ KILL YOURSELF! KILL YOURSELF! KILL YOURSELF! KILL YOURSELF!_**

**_ KILL YOURSELF! KILL YOURSELF! KILL YOURSELF! KILL YOURSELF!_**

It was all so horrible; the figure of a shadow rushed towards her with a knife. She was going to die, and this man was going to kill her…

She continued down the hallway, unsure of where she was or where she was going. Suddenly, a redheaded man clasped her shoulder.

"NO!" she pushed him away, her eyes bleary with tears.

"It's me, it's Fred!" the man was saying, easing her back towards him. "…hospital wing... hospital… we have to…"

Everything was leaving her, she knew it, and she hoped Fred had time to catch her as her knees bucked…

She awoke several hours later in what appeared to be the evening, two familiar faces at her bedside, one of which made her ache just by looking at him. She felt so blindly angry at him, but she didn't now why. She just knew that it was unforgivable, what he did… what he _said_…

"I'm Fred," said the man with George's face, looking anxious. "Nina, are you okay? I had to carry you here, you were muttering…"

"Nora," Nina whispered.

"She's in the loo right now." said Lee.

**_That man, that redheaded man is not who you think he is! He's a liar, he _****is****_ George, he is the one who hurt you!_**

"You… I know you're lying," Nina whispered scathingly to the twin, whichever one he may be. "I don't care…you… I _hate_ you…"

Fred not only looked horrified, but solemn. He nodded slowly, got up, and opened his mouth to say something. He seemed to struggle as it came out.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite, Nina. We both care… really. He's so sorry. He lo—" He didn't finish the sentence.

The twin left, and Nina waited in silence with Lee for Nora's return from the bathroom. Her mouth felt too dry to be capable of speech, and she enjoyed the quiet bliss with Lee. It had been weeks of awfulness, but this… this was truly the rotten cherry on top.

* * *

**Okay, so I had NO idea it was going to end up being so… horrible. But I like how it turned out nonetheless. A lot less chipper than the last few chapters, I'd say. There's so many rapid changes that I'm worried you guys might not be able to cope with, but I'm sure you'll all be fine.**

**I have a SUPER-SPECIAL-HAPPY-FUN-TIME ANNOUNCEMENT: You will all be getting a huge surprise soon involving this story, something I am personally looking forward to, and something I'm sure you all will like, too. It's a surprise, and I'm not sure when it will be ready, but it will definitely come soon.**

**Okay, ciao!**


	15. The Boathouse

**So I'm just sitting here sobbing with happiness at all the amazing reviews I got last chapter. I can't even put how I feel into words… just… gah… THANK YOU. How I managed to update within twenty-four hours I may never know, but I hope you're all content with the chapter. George was pretty OOC last chapter, so I decided to redeem him a little bit here.**

**Okay, so in this chapter I mention Fred, George and Nina's worst fears. I, obviously, own Nina, and her boggart is accurate, but I totally made up Fred and George's for this story. I thought George's was an interesting idea, it's my sister's worst fear too, and I know a lot of people aren't fond of it either. I'm not going to spoil anything just yet; read on, loves!**

* * *

Nina's delusional state calmed down after the first day and a half with proper counselling and medicine from Madame Pomfrey, and she was released sooner than she had been expecting. Fred came up with a lie and explained how he had found her muttering to herself on the seventh floor while George went off to find Lee, which explained why Fred had arrived in the hospital wing by himself. Nina had no desire to recount what had happened in Cadogan's Nook, and instead said that she was very stressed out from the load of homework she was receiving. Madame Pomfrey spent a good hour reprimanding her about time organization before she was allowed to go.

Two and a half weeks remained until Christmas day, and Nina dreaded nothing more than the arrival of the Yule Ball, which she was sure meant her being confined to the dormitories by herself while thumping music from the room upstairs echoed downstairs to her. But nothing irked her more than the fleeting sight of a ginger person in the distant halls of Hogwarts every so often. She kept her head down whenever she passed these redheaded figures, as she had no desire to see George's face ever again. Unfortunately, Fred refused to be ignored by her, and she had to endure looking in _his_ face whenever he talked to her, instead.

"Nina, he's a wreck, he—well, he sort of hates himself for what he said to you. He's acting like he just caused a deadly epidemic or something. I even told him that one cheese joke, but he still didn't laugh. Oh, come on, Nina, I know you love that one too. What do you call cheese that's not yours? Nacho cheese! Oh—" He patted her awkwardly on the back when tears had sprung to her eyes. "Okay, well, we all have our own taste… it wasn't _that_ terrible."

Even amidst all of Fred's corny one-liners ("Diarrhea is hereditary, it runs in your jeans!"), Nina found herself feeling swollen with anger and sadness and confusion, making her feel worse than she ever had in her entire life.

"Lee told me," Nora said in a hushed whisper one night in the common room. "Love, come on, maybe if you would just talk with him…? Oh, don't give me that look, it was only a suggestion…"

Nina had wanted many times the opportunity to call George a coward for not approaching her himself, but the truth is that he _did_ try to speak with her. Whenever he cornered her, however, she raised her wand and pointed it between his eyes.

"I hate you, leave me alone," she would whisper, her voice trembling slightly.

The look on George's face when she said this would, she knew, be burned in her mind forever. There was no anger in his expression, but rather a horrible mix of guilt and pain mingled in his dark eyes, and he would watch her go silently. Somehow, even all the apologies in the world wouldn't have left her content. She wanted George to suffer for what he said, suffer as she did…

Soon, however, George's apologies stopped coming, and he would shoot cold looks at her whenever they made eye contact. Lee told her, with a foreboding expression, that he wasn't going to sit around simpering and apologizing when she was being such a… well, Lee cut the sentence off there in good grace.

"Cheer up, won't you?" Nora had told her a week after the fight, in which Nina's anger had long subsided and was instead replaced with a dull, empty feeling, as though there was a gigantic whole gaping inside of her that needed to be filled. "Come on, let's go to Hogsmeade. Filch is signing forms."

"Yeah, okay," Nora replied sadly, and she and Nora entered her dormitory and she knelt down to shuffle through her trunk, looking for a scarf and pair of mittens.

"Y'know, I hear there's a new line of sweets at Honeydukes, something to do with fire or steam or something like that." Nora said, and with a jolt Nina remembered how George had handed her a _Combusting Confectionary_ back in her second year, and how he seemed to have melt away all of her worries with his mischievous smile…

"Or not, you know, just regular chocolate is fine, too," Nora said quickly, as though reading her mind. "Got your stuff?"

"Yeah," said Nina, pushing her blue mittens into her coat pocket and pulling her Slytherin scarf from her trunk. A small, square piece of paper slipped out from between the fabric when it became unfolded, and a moving picture fluttered to the ground. She picked it up, frowning more so than ever. The picture had been taken a few weeks ago by Colin Creevy, just after the First Task. She, Fred, George, Lee, and Nora were all standing closely together in a warm huddle, a pair of eyes or twinkling smile appearing out of the bundle of scarves they were each wrapped in. Nina felt another twinge of ache as she watched her past self, who was vibrating in excitement both at the thought of seeing dragons and having the arms of Lee and George both wrapped around her…

Nora swiped the photograph from Nina's fingers and sighed. "You miss him. Nina, why don't you just…?"

George's screams rang in her ears as clear as day, telling her she was pathetic, a nobody, that he didn't care, and she felt her heart shrivel up like smouldering ash and crumple into her stomach. They both could have apologized a thousand times if they wanted to, but it wouldn't take away the fact that they'd both said awful things to each other.

She wasn't sure whether it was her paranoia kicking in or not, but she could have sworn Nora was sneaking off more often then usual, and not just with her new boyfriend. Many a time Nina found Nora, Lee and one or both of the Weasley twins huddled together, muttering feverishly and dispersing immediately once they caught sight of Nina looking at them suspiciously, Lee and Nora usually grinning sheepishly.

"I don't like whatever it is you're up to." Nina told Nora as they left the dormitory together and made for the entrance hall, passing through a lumbering Fat Friar on their way there.

"Are you feeling all right?" Nora said unconvincingly, not looking at her, but instead around the courtyard they had just entered.

"I'm _fine_… looking for someone?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Nora said proudly, straightening herself to her full, and considerable, height. "Kev's coming with us,"

Nina groaned. Blimey, Nora could have at least _told_ her she'd be third wheeling all the way to Hogsmeade. As Kevin came from the castle a few moments later, his yellow and black scarf wrapped tightly around him, Nina saw a flash of the same bright yellow and another vibrant red scarf billow in the blizzard. Knowing exactly who the scarves belonged to and not caring that she was walking out on the lovers Nora and Kevin, Nina trooped the other way, her head down, ignoring Nora's curious calls to her back as she fled into the shelter of the castle. She sped to the library, a place where she might find some peace and quiet to clear her mind; she turned a corner and collided with another figure.

"Ah! Watch it, won't y—Nina! I thought you would be going to Hogsmeade!"

"Fred?" Nina said, surprised. She would have expected him, of all people, to accompany Cecilia and George to the village. "What—what're you—?"

"I don't know who you take me for," he said. "But the last thing I'm going to waste my time doing is third wheeling with _George_ _and Cecilia_,"

She blinked at him, surprised at his tone. From what George had said, Cecilia was in the same year as them and had been friends with them since their first year. What's more, Fred hadn't ever spoken ill of George, at least not in front of her.

"Want to go to the Great Hall for some tea? You can sit at our table,"

"Yeah, sure," Nina said, grateful to finally take off her winter jacket, "That'd be swell."

The Great Hall was lightly decorated with tinsel and a few ghosts were singing Christmas carols for the upcoming holidays, and most tables were occupied by people studying or chatting animatedly, though the place was rather empty overall.

"She _is_ my friend," Fred said before Nina had asked anything, seizing two cups and handing her one of them. "Never a best friend or anything, we're not that close… she doesn't mind us pranking and stuff, but she's _always_ fancied George,"

"So why has it taken her so long to get him?" Nina asked in awe, sugaring her tea. "I mean, you're in your sixth year, aren't you?"

Fred laughed, though there wasn't much humour or cheer in his tone. "She likes to play games; she's shunned the idea of being direct with people because it isn't intriguing enough for her. I guess she's one of those traditional types, waiting for the guy to ask her…"

"How did she end up in Hufflepuff?" Nina asked bitterly, and Fred smiled dryly.

"I suppose it's her patience—not everyone can wait five years for an idiot like George to notice them—bless him, though. He really can't flirt, and he doesn't think of _anyone_ romantically unless he's interested in them."

Despite being angry with George, Nina's heart sank a little lower than it had been before (if that was at all possible). If he never noticed Cecilia, there was no way…

"But I'm sure you've figured the difference between us out by now, right?" said Fred, slurping his tea loudly.

"Yeah, I think so. It'd be difficult to do just by looking at you." she said, setting her tea down and looking carefully at Fred. "You really are identical, you know. But George's got this…" She looked away from Fred, suddenly feeling quite hot.

"Go on, I want to hear this," Fred sounded amused at her discomfort.

"You just look at people differently." Nina said simply, picking her tea back up again. "You're different people, even if you have similar senses of humour and interests. You, Fred, can't resist wise-cracking even in the grimmest situations, and you're a lot more… how do I say this… independent. Not that George isn't, but… you seem more like a leader, Fred. You look at people with interest and then get distracted a minute later. But George… he stays behind a bit. He examines you a bit further; he genuinely tries to figure you out."

Fred was now staring at Nina with a look between bewilderment and curiosity. She shrugged.

"What's your boggart, Nina?" he asked out of the blue, making himself another cup of tea.

"What's _yours?_" she asked uncomfortably.

"People jeering and booing at me," he said quietly, a grimace settling on his face. She supposed that made sense, especially since Fred so enjoyed making others laugh. "A lot of them,"

He stared at her for a moment before she sighed heavily.

"Sirius Black… and clowns scare me, too."

"_Clowns?"_

"Yes," Nina nodded gravely. "They're horrible… I went to a Muggle circus with my mother once, and he had given me a balloon… then he popped it and I started crying, and he squirted water in my face…" She shook her head, shivering slightly. "Horrible, horrible…"

"I suppose they're a bit creepy." said Fred, who seemed to be trying to suppress great fits of laughter. "But then, about Sirius Black?"

"I just call him that… he doesn't have a great likeliness of Black, so I just usually call him… the Shadow Man," Nina whispered, looking away from Fred. She had never shared this information with anyone other than Madame Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore. "He's this—well, Dumbledore says he's only in my head, but then… it's not like that, because he's so _vivid._ And then he—he sometimes has a knife or wand and stands over me a night…"

Fred was patting her shoulder coarsely, trying to comfort her. "That's enough, I was just curious."  
"It's okay," she said in a very small voice. "What about Cecilia? Or George? Do you know?"

"Cecilia's boggart is probably her own chipped nail," said Fred casually, taking a ginger snap from a nearby cookie dish and nibbling on it. "George's is interesting,"

"What is it?" she murmured, leaning forward eagerly.

"There was this lake that my family would sometimes go and swim in during the summer." Fred said heavily, as though recalling something he'd wished he had forgotten. "Ginny couldn't even walk yet, I think we were just little… and anyway, George never liked swimming. He never quite learned how. I was trying to teach him, and we swam deeper to the middle, and I was demonstrating how to do a backstroke when suddenly he was gone," The colour from Fred's face drained completely and he gripped the handle of his teacup a little too hard. "And there were these bubbles coming from a short way away from under the water. I tried to lift him out, but I wasn't strong enough and he was sinking fast. Then dad dove in and saved him…" Fred gulped. "Honestly, even I'm a bit scared of deep water, I can't dive well. But George… he's terrified of it, terrified if he can't see the bottom, he won't go past his knees whenever we go swimming," Fred gave a shaky laugh before grabbing another ginger snap.

"You're kidding," Nina breathed, horrified. "So he almost drowned?"

"Almost… but it was a long time ago."

"So what's his boggart like?"

"Well, when Lupin did it with us it sort of turned into this two-dimensional, murky green square that slid underneath George. Then he sort of… fell through the floor, it was kind of unbelievable. The boggart turned into deep water. But then he turned it into ice cream and we helped him out of there, but it was still a bit of a mess. Mum spent a week trying to get the chocolate and vanilla stains out of his robes before buying new ones second-hand." said Fred thoughtfully.

"Deep water," Nina repeated. "And an audience jeering at you… they both sound quite awful in their different ways. But why bring this up, anyway?"

Fred shrugged, now setting his empty teacup down for good. "Interesting topic, ain't it? Well, see you, nice chat… oh," As he stood to leave, he turned round once more. "Can you swim, Nina?"

"I—yes," she said quietly. "But—"

He threw a wink over his shoulder at her as he left the Great Hall completely, leaving Nina alone at the Gryffindor table. She sighed, muttering something under her breath about _men _and helping herself to a ginger snap.

* * *

There was a mere week left until Christmas day, and Nina was in even more of a sour mood, despite Theodore Nott having asked her to the Ball. She had never talked to the boy before much, and she honestly found him quite frightening, but she accepted nonetheless, trying to find the best in the situation in the matter despite the boy's father being a famed death eater.

"Nina Nott… oh, no," Nina said weakly under her breath just after lunch. "I'm _not_ going to be the wife of a Death Eater, no sir…"

"Take a breather with me, won't you?" whispered the voice of Lee behind her, and she let him tug her from the crowd of students that were heading to their common rooms after a long day of work. Lee pulled Nina out to the courtyard, where she shivered, not having anything but her uniform to protect her from the winter chill.

"What's up, Lee? Oh, thank you—" She wrapped his Gryffindor scarf around herself when he handed it to her generously.

"You won't believe it—" said Lee excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet and grinning broadly. "Nina, there's a Kappa living down in the Boathouse."

_"What?"_ she said incredulously. "Lee, don't be silly, Kappas are native only to Mongolia and Japan, and they're scarcely seen in even China. Prof—"

"Hagrid's down there already," said Lee impatiently. "We've got a bucket full of cucumbers down there—oh, come on, Nina!"

"Really?" Nina said excitedly, her geeky fascination for magical beasts shooting up inside of her like a great serpent. "Professor Hagrid is down there? Oh, they only drink human blood, I do hope the Professor has it under control… I've heard that their fangs are worth twenty galleons a piece, but they're very difficult to come by…"

The blizzard had lessened greatly since yesterday, and now the sheets of snow that blanketed the Hogwarts grounds blindly reflected the bright sunlight overhead. Their socks, however, were still wet from treading down the stairs that led to the Boathouse.

The Boathouse was where the first-years docked when they first arrived at Hogwarts, and it was otherwise used for storage purposes by Argus Filch. Fred and George had told Nina about a portrait there, however, that could help you access the Boathouse more easily. Again, Nina's chest tightened with remorse and sadness, but also in great bitterness. She followed Lee to the bottom of the steps and he held the door open for her, beckoning her inside.

A half-wooden, half-glass shack at the bottom of a large staircase that spouted from the courtyard, the Boathouse had an oddly soothing, woody smell to it and spare old row boats planked to the ceiling. The end of the house that faced the Black Lake, however, had its wall missing, and murky green water sloshed into an alcove where the boats were supposed to be lowered. Knowing immediately that something was wrong, as Professor Hagrid was nowhere in sight, Nina found the other occupants of the room: Nora Boone, who was not looking at her, and the twins, clad in their Weasley jumpers, which each had a letter on the chests, labelling them.

"Hello, Nina," said Fred in an odd, almost hoarse voice. He smiled brightly at her, only for her to return a glare.

"What is this, Fred?" she demanded angrily. She looked at George, who was looking just as miserable.

"I thought you said Mrs Norris' corpse had washed up here?" George hissed. "Instead you've brought me to see… _her?_"

"I have a name, you know," said Nina hotly, glaring at George.

George looked round at her, and she noticed that he looked odd, somehow... but she couldn't quite but her finger on it. His eyes were flashing brighter than usual.

"We've had about enough of this from you two." Nora said angrily, stepping forward suddenly. "You two haven't so much as spoken to each other since you fought two weeks ago, and it's breaking our hearts! Oh, come on, you two are such good friends! Surely you can't forget when you went and cheered her up in the hospital, right? George, you gave her flowers, remember?"

Fred nodded slowly. George still had his arms crossed in a childish way, which was unlike him.

"You said a lot of horrible things to me, George," Nina said quietly, suddenly remembering his insults. What did she care if he was angry at her? Clearly _he_ didn't care. "You remember what I said, don't you? _I hate you._"

Just then, Nora burst into very theatrical tears, mopping her eyes with her sleeve.

"Oh p-please!" she cried. "You two, please don't fight! You're s-s-suppose t-to be…"

"Enough with the tears!" Fred said impatiently. "Nina, apologize."

"You are not one to be giving me orders, Fred," Nina said haughtily. "Who do you think you are, my father? My brother? You are _not!_"

Fred's cheeks flushed slightly, though he seemed to be resisting the urge to grin.

"Oh, I can't!" Nora wailed, cupping her face in her hands and storming out of the Boathouse.

"Oh, jeez…" Lee muttered. "Gimme a sec…"

And soon, only Nina and the twins remained in the Boathouse together, George and Nina glaring at each other intensely.

"This is rubbish," George muttered suddenly, still glaring daggers at Nina. "She said she doesn't care, mate, it's as simple as that. Let her gripe, I say,"

Fred was unusually quiet, though he seemed to be measuring Nina with great concentration. His eyes looked uncannily wise, sparkling as though trying to tell her something… something important…

"I'm leaving," George said hotly, making for the portrait in the Boathouse that led to the castle.

"George, no," said Fred sternly. "Come on, we've just got to wait for Nora and Lee to get back, then—"

"You think that matters?!" George roared, the volume of his voice shaking the translucent glass windows. "Fred, look, it's not worth it, it's never going to—she's made it _quite_ clear that she doesn't give a damn about either of us, she said loud and clear that she wants me dead."

"Yeah, well maybe if you keep being a git I won't take back what I said!" Nina shouted to a disgruntled George, whose eyes were now menacing, completely alien to the George she knew… She turned away, unable to look at either of them, just wanting to escape…

There was a hoarse scream and the clattering of wood, and the loud sloshing of water could be heard just beside Nina. She was sprayed with the winter lake water, which was surprisingly warm, and gazing in horror after the quickly disappearing figure of George, who had appeared to have tripped…

"NO!" Fred cried, circling the water's edge desperately, his wand withdrawn. "NO, GEORGE!"

The world seemed to have slowed to a stop. Her brain was working very fast. The Summoning Charm could not be used on humans, as far as she knew, and she doubted trying to suck all of the water out of the lake was at all plausible. George was inches from death… inches from death when she had told him that she hated him, that she wanted him to die…

"Nina!" Fred was shaking her, his eyes staring like mad. "He tripped! We can't—he can't swim! He—"

Fred's story from the previous day tingled in her mind. If she did not do anything, she would be letting George die in the worst way he could imagine, in the most painful fashion he could conceive of. Somehow not realizing how paralysing the cold water would be, somehow disregarding the fact that she was still wearing her shoes and Lee's Gryffindor scarf, Nina dropped her wand and it fell with a clatter to the floor.

"_Oh, you idiot!_" she squealed as she dove into the water, which was sure to kill her, sure to send both she and George to their watery graves…

Rather than being greeted by an icy death as she had expected, Nina had jumped, fully clothed, into what felt like a hot spring, and she felt herself sinking pleasantly deeper. Her robes weighed her down when she struggled for the murky surface, and a hand enclosed around her wrist and helped pull her up and out of the water.

She and George were both coughing and sputtering, flailing madly on the surface of the water.

"They do realize that's shallow water, don't they?"

"Idiots…"

"Ni—na!" George was yelling over her splashing. "Stop—that! I thought you said you could swim!?"

"Wha?" Nina hiccoughed, gazing upward. Nora (her eyes completely dry) and Lee had reappeared along with a grinning Fred, all of whom were standing above them with triumphant looks on their faces.

"What?" she gasped, suddenly realizing that the water was not nearly as deep as she thought; she could comfortably stand on her tip-toes.

"Blimey, it's about time," said George, finally relaxing in the water.

"But—George!" Nina cried, aghast as she watched him grin at her. "You can't swim! You—you're terrified of swimming; of deep water!"

"Yeah," said Fred, who was up on the platform with the others. "I am."

"W-wait," Nina said, glancing from one twin to the other before something finally clicked. "You—you two _switched?_ So that means…" She turned to the twin with the bright golden 'F' on his sweater, and gaped. He smiled at her, his eyes glittering gently, as he reached out a hand to help her out of the water. She took it, and he tugged her upward, hoisting her onto the platform.

"So, you _would_ jump into icy cold water after me," said the real George, who was dry as a bone. "Don't wish I was dead after all, eh?"

Upon looking into his face for the first time since they had fought, Nina immediately felt a surge of affection for him. Everything that he said didn't matter, because it just had to be a lie made up in a fit of anger, and vice versa.

"Oh, George!" Nina squeaked, tears now streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry I called you poor!"

"Believe me, that was the least worrying of your insults." George said with a laugh. His expression suddenly turned very serious, "But… look, I was a big prat to have said all those things to you, Nina. I mean… none of it… I was just angry over something stupid, something that did even matter, and I made you… Nina, I'm so s—"

Nina didn't want to hear those words, which had no meaning to her. Rather, she pulled George into a very tight hug, her heart leaping at her own daring (perhaps Lee's Gryffindor scarf made her feel braver?). He fell silent as she buried her wet face into his chest—Fred's sweater—and savoured every part of him; his warmth, his scent, everything that she—to her disbelief—once loathed, was now such a sweet fragrance that she never wanted to forget. Such a stupid fight… so much time was wasted with a wonderful friend—someone she cared for very deeply.

George wrapped his arms around her, too, Fred's jumper now undoubtedly soaked through. He knotted his fingers through her wet tangles and she pressed her head into his chest slightly, craning to hear or feel a heartbeat. It did not matter that three other pairs of eyes were on them, because she could stay this way for the rest of her life…

"Well, this is all very sweet," said Fred mockingly, who was still in lake. "But does anyone mind helping me get the damned hell out of this oversized puddle before the Giant Squid snatches me up for its supper?"

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Nina said, not caring that she was receiving a few looks of disgust and loathing and she sat at the Gryffindor table that evening for dinner with Nora, Lee, Fred and George, all of whom were now changed into their proper, dry clothes. Lee, with a smile, had handed over his Gryffindor scarf to Nina permanently; it was an older one of his, anyway. "So George's worst fear _is_ actually deep water?"

"Yep," said George, shuddering slightly.

"But Fred _can_ swim?"

"To an extent," he said with his mouth full of steak.

"So you simply put on each other's jumpers and pretended to be each other—Fred, playing George, intentionally fell into the water…"

"To see how you'd react, love," said Nora, grinning broadly. "It was all my idea—okay, Lee helped _a bit_, just with the part where you fell into the water. We charmed that section to make sure it was warm so you didn't become paralysed in the water. Cold water's deadly, you know. Dad and I saw it on TV."

"So this was all a test?" Nina crossed her arms, leaning back and surveying the group. "A test of our—er—friendship or whatever? What if I hadn't—very stupidly—jumped in after him? Would I just be an awful friend?"

"Blimey, Nina! You do realize that we've got these magic stink-thingies to help us out in everyday life, right?" said Fred.

"Doing the laundry…" George went on.

"Making supper…"

"Saving a drowning victim…"

"Okay, so I couldn't think of anything to help Fred out of the water by magic, big deal. I still think that was a pretty unbelievable _test_."

"You said a lot of terrible things," said Lee mournfully. "George did too!" he added as she opened her mouth to protest. "You both fought really badly over something really stupid, and it had really… well… _awful_ consequences. But that bit where you said you didn't care if he died and you hated him—"

Nina flinched as though she had just heard You-Know-Who's name. "I was _stupid_, okay?"

"We were both big, stupid prats," George reassured her as he tucked into his mashed potatoes. "I don't see any point in going on about it, though; it's over and done with,"

Feeling an immense amount of relief at this statement, Nina felt yet another great rush of affection for George as she piled more cheese-covered broccoli on her plate, humming happily to herself. Fred and Nora exchanged cheeky grins.

"So what's happened with you and Cecilia, then, George?" Nora asked. Nina would have stamped on her foot under the table for killing her good mood if Nora had not looked so happy herself, and Nina had a feeling that she already knew the news.

"Didn't work out," George said shortly. "When she tried to drag me to that fluffy tea shop again I told I was done, simple as that,"

"Plenty of other fine birds around though, eh George?" said Lee. "Say, would you say you're more into _short-haired_ girls or—?"

This time, Nina did stamp on somebody's foot. Three guesses who.

"I dunno… why?" he said, gazing suspiciously around at them. "Why're you all interested in _my_ love life all of a sudden anyway? Go on and ask about Fred's for a change, will you?" He sounded thoroughly irritated. Then, he leaned forward across the table and muttered to Nina, "I don't think she's given up, though. Ah well, what can you do?"

Nina's heart leapt. She may not have been snogging him for the past month or was going to the Ball with him, but she was in a far better position than Cecilia, who was seething in her chair across the room as she watched them. Nina grinned triumphantly and continued her meal. She knew Cecilia wouldn't give up so easily, and surely some kind of overly dramatic war was brewing as of now, but that didn't matter; for George was laughing with _her_, confiding in _her_, and she would not have it any other way.

* * *

**THE END**

**LOL no. But can you imagine? I seriously can't believe I got to sixty reviews, I wonder if… some day… there might be a hundred, even? Wooooow… it's like something from a long lost legend or something. Anyway, I particularly liked this chapter, and I hope ya'll did too. Next up: Yule Ball! And trust me, that's nothing short of a night full of surprises. Stay tuned!**

**Love ya,**

**ciao!**


	16. Warm Fuzzies

**(LISE PLEASE DON'T TAKE ME TO COURT, I SWEAR I WAS JUST HAVING A DROUGHT OF ORIGINALITY. So everyone go on over to basicwannabe's page instead of reading this crap, because that's where I totally just stole the title of this chapter. Go on, shoo!)**

**What Nora says in the beginning of the chapter actually stems from me; when I was little I always thought Crabbe and Goyle were in a gay relationship XD**

**And... okay, I know it sounds bad to get all excited about your own story and all, but I have to say: I am REALLY proud of this chapter. It's really romantic (well, in my opinion at least) and it gave me butterflies and warm fuzzies (*cough*who can guess the reference?*cough*) just writing it. READ ON, YOU POOR ROMANCE-DEPRIVED ****_SUDDENLY _****VIEWERS.**

**If anyone's wondering what Nina and Nora's dresses look like, I'll be posting the inspired pictures on my profile. If the links are at all broken, please let me know so I can fix them.**

**Oh, and there's something that I'd like to clarify about this story that's different from the canon, something I probably should have mentioned fifteen chapters ago. Fred and George experiment with wacky sweets from their fourth**** year onward, always liking the effects they had on people and enjoying the money they made from it. When Nora suggested that they open a joke shop in their fifth year, however, they decided to put their profits to good use. So yeah, they spend a long to perfecting and selling their sweet before opening their shop, that's why the Skiving Snackboxes make an appearance way earlier than when JKR introduced them.**

* * *

"_Theodore Nott?_" Nora gasped, nearly falling out of her favourite chair in the common room when Nina told her about her date before they headed to lunch. "Nina, have you lost your marbles? The bloke's dad is a Death Eater _and_ he's made fun of you with Malfoy before. And now you're going on a date with him? I don't know what you see in him, he looks like a bird, if you ask me…"

"It is not a date, Nora, he's just my dance partner," Nina said quietly, pretending to read the _Daily Prophet_ in order to escape her friend's alarmed expression.

"Just ditch him and go with George, then!"

"No way! And keep your voice down, will you?" She nervously watched Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode, who were giggling excitedly with each other nearby, no doubt talking about the Yule Ball which was due to take place that very evening.

"Humph. I don't see why Snape's giving us all this Potions homework when it's a _holiday. _Maybe he's just sour because he couldn't get a date to the Ball, eh?"

"He's not the only one… Crabbe and Goyle don't have dates, either."

Nora snickered. "Ya know, I'd always thought those two would just get together on their own, if you know what I mean."

"Draco's going with Parkinson, I hear. But have you heard about Blaise?"

"Mm, no." said Nora bitterly. "Probably some pretty _pure-blood_ girl. Git."

"Don't tell me you're still mad, Nora. You two need to just make up already,"

"The bloke hasn't even apologized to me yet!" Nora yelled. "After all that stuff he said to me how can I just _make up_ with him?"

Nina raised her eyebrows. "Maybe I'll come up with a Test of Friendship for you and him, then. Throw you two into the incinerator or something,"

"Very funny," Nina huffed. "Mum wanted me to wear a _sari_, y'know. Good thing dad said no and got me a real dress, I don't even know how to put those things on…"

Evening was fast approaching, and every girl in the castle seemed to be buzzing in excitement as they rushed up to their dormitories, eager to slip into the evening gowns.

"Come on, Nina, let's change! I'll do your make-up," Nora said, practically bouncing in anticipation just after they had finished their lunch.

Nina grimaced at the thought of make-up. She didn't like the feeling of her face being powdered and caked with the stuff, and she didn't even know how to apply it on herself. "Nora, it's only two o'clock. There's still four hours—"

Nora wasn't listening. She gave Nina a push in the direction of her dormitory and then zipped off to her own, her long legs carrying her at a shockingly quick speed.

When she entered her dormitory, Nina found Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass arguing and shoving each other away from a small mirror that hung on the wall, and Millicent was struggling to pull her tight-looking black dress over her curvy body. Mafalda Prewett was sitting on her bed, which was situated next to Nina's, already dressed and looking rather bored.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi, Mafalda. Who're you going with?"

"Terry Boot, Ravenclaw." she said, looking amused at the sight of Pansy and Daphne, who were still squabbling. "And you?"

"Theodore Nott," Nina replied glumly.

"He's not that bad," Mafalda said. "Unless you were hoping to go with someone else, that is,"

"Don't be silly," Nina muttered, turning to pull on her evening clothes to hide her red face. The dress, which her mother had sent her, wasn't actually half bad, in her opinion. It was a Korean-style winter dress, a one-piece that was long-sleeved and fell to her knees. The bust was ruffled to create the illusion that she actually _had_ a bust and was plaid in red and black, much like a kilt. Once she was dressed, Mafalda stepped up to her with her wand and a comb in hand.

"I've never use magic on hair, of course," she said. "I'm used to just brushing out my tangles with a comb," She set to work on Nina's hair, though there wasn't much to do. After wetting it, Mafalda combed it into a different part and smoothed down the back. Then she turned round, dug into her trunk and pulled out a thick scarlet ribbon.

"What?" Mafalda said once she caught sight of Nina's crinkled nose. "Don't like girly accessories?"

"I… well… not _really_,"

"Oh, but you'll look so cute! Come here…"

She fixed the ribbon into her dark hair and stepped back, her tongue in between her teeth, examining her. Mafalda gave a satisfied nod, grinned, and then tossed her thick red hair over her shoulder as she left the dormitory. Nina followed.

Nora was nowhere no be seen in the common room and Nina instead sat in comfortable silence beside Mafalda on the couch, both of them gazing into the fireplace. There was a tap on her shoulder and she turned round, expecting to find Nora but instead…

"Hullo, Brimstone," said Theodore Nott.

"Hi, Nott," said Nina, feeling awkward using his surname. He was taller than ever, his blonde hair now slicked back and blending in with his long, pale face. He seemed to be becoming more weedy and gaunt the older he got.

"Err… d'you want to go now?"

"It's not even three o'clock yet," she said.

"Ah. Right. Well, how about a walk, then?"

"Uhm…" She turned to Mafalda, who nodded encouragingly. "Sure, why not?"

As she stood up from the couch, she realized how very tall Theodore really was. The top of her head barely went past his belly button, and he would have towered over Nora, Fred or George any day. He held out his arm and she took it hesitantly, ignoring the nearby giggles from a couple of other students. It was the most painfully awkward walk to the entrance hall in her entire life, and it was there was she released Nott's arm, much to his relief (he had been crouching slightly as they walked). They stood in silence in the hall, watching other couples who were already dressed talk animatedly with each other, before Nott cleared his throat rather loudly.

"Courtyard?" he suggested.

"It's pretty cold out there." Nina replied.

"Oh… right. I could—er—give you my jacket or something?"

"It's fine, Theodore."

More silence.

"Heh, look, it's Weaslette." Nott snickered suddenly, pointing to the other side of the hall. "God, she's going with _Longbottom_… how he got a date I'll never know."

"Hmm," Nina mumbled, not wanting to start any conflict with her one and only date. "Maybe the courtyard doesn't sound so bad…"

"Dumbledore's an old fool, letting filthy blood-traitors and Mudbloods walk about these ancient halls," he continued, trying to find similar interests between himself and Nina. Apparently, this topic struck a chord with him. "You know, my father is _very_ strict about whom I choose as my associates. One wrong move, he says, and I won't be a Nott anymore. Of course, you're a Brimstone, so I don't need to worry."

Nott didn't seem to know that part of Nina's lineage was left as a large blank. "What's so bad about Muggleborns?" Nina said quietly.

"Don't tell me you're some blood-traitor, Brimstone," Nott said, his eyes blazing.

"I—of course not," she said, exasperated. "I would never…"

"Good," said Nott, now taking her arm and moving her across the hall towards Ginny and Neville. "It's simple evolution; we're so much stronger than Muggles, why we don't just wipe them out of existence already I have no idea. They're doing nothing for the planet, just destroying it; they're bloody useless if you ask me."

"Erm—Theodore? Where exactly are we going?" They were moving ever closer to Ginny and Neville.

"We're going to have some fun," he said, grinning down at her. "Old Schlongbottom and Weaslette are just too easy,"

"Oh, no, Theodore—how about we go and… and get something to eat, instead? I'm rather hungry." She tried pulling away from him.

"Shut up a minute," he snapped at her, tightening his grip around her wrist. "Oi, Longbottom! Nice robes! Where'd you get them, your great aunt?"

Neville jumped on the spot and whirled around, his eyes widening at the sight of Theodore.

"Bug off, Nott," Ginny said haughtily, taking Neville's arm and trying to lead him away. "Nobody's interested."

"Aww, need wittle Gin-Gin to take care of you?" Nott simpered in a babyish voice.

Neville's face flushed bright red and he pulled away from Ginny.

"Oh, is Fatbottom going to do something now?" Nott sneered, his hand hovering over his pocketed wand.

"Nott, stop it," Nina said, pulling on his sleeve and nervously eyeing Ginny and Neville.

"Tell me, how much did you pay Weaslette to get her to go with you?" Nott continued maliciously, a grin spreading on his face. "Lord knows her family could use the money… say, Weaslette, is he paying extra for _tonight?_"

"You're a right git, you know that?" Ginny snarled, pulling out her wand and pointing it at Theodore. Before she could so much as utter a jinx, however, Neville rushed Theodore, his fists curled into balls…

_"Protego!_"

Nina's Shield Charm cast itself between them like an expanding bubble, pushing them away from each other and thus protecting them both from harm.

"I said _stop it!_" Nina said angrily to a surprised Theodore, who was now gazing down at her in great shock, as though this entire escapade had all been to impress her. "You're not being funny, Nott!"

Furiously, Theodore Nott grabbed Nina by the wrist yet again and dragged her away to an alcove near the marble staircase.

"I _was _going to give you a chance, despite your current… relations with those idiot Weasley clones. But I'm not going to waste my time with a little blood-traitor like _you _any longer," he snapped, shaking her and gripping her arm painfully now. "Understand?"

"Ouch! Let go of me, you jerk!" Nina cried, reaching for her wand with her left hand. Nott was quicker, whipping out his own and pointing it at her.

"You're going to take that back and we're going to have a good time tonight," he said aggressively, his nails now scratching against her wrist. She felt terrified of this overgrown boy, who towered over her. Surely Ginny would have hexed him into oblivion right now if she were her, but she was no Gryffindor, she was not brave and she was afraid of what he might do to her if she were to say another word…

"But of course, you _like_ prancing around with Gryffindors and blood-traitors, don't you? Along with that filthy half-blood, Boone…"

"That _filthy half-blood_ is my friend," she said coolly, still struggling against him. "And I suggest you don't go any further with me. Haven't you heard? I'm crazy, you know. I'll chop you up like I tried to Parkinson."

Nott laughed coldly, unfazed. "You're threatening _me?_ You seem to forget who my father is, Brimstone,"

"I don't give a damn who your father is, Nott," she snapped, finally managing to pull away from him. Her wrist felt bruised and thumped with blood. "You're disgusting, get out of my sight!"

"You'll regret this, Brimstone," Nott said darkly as he began to stalk away. "My father works for the Ministry, you know, right alongside Lucius Malfoy. Maybe I'll go and get that useless Muggle lover Weasley fired from his job… I suppose the rest of his pathetic family would end up starving, but it's not like anyone would give a damn…"

Her wand hand now free and her scarlet fury consuming her, Nina thrust her hand into her dress pocket and seized her wand with her bruised hand, taking aim at Theodore Nott's turned back.

"_Melofors!_" she cried, and a spiralling orange light burst from the tip of her wand and crashed into the back of Nott's head. He stumbled forward with a yell, and when he got up again his screams were muffled, as his head was now encased in a large pumpkin. On-lookers gasped and screamed as Nott wandered around blindly, his head appearing to have turned into a large vegetable. He pointed his wand at himself and yelled a muffled incantation, and the pumpkin crumbled to the floor, revealing his furious face. He pointed his wand at Nina and knocked her backwards with the _Flipendo_ jinx, momentarily stunning her. He thrust another spell her way—_Diffindo_—and parts of her dress immediately began to rip and tear away, ruining it. She sat up, her head aching somewhat, and pointed at him again.

"_Impedimenta!"_ she yelled, still struggling to her feet, and Nott flew backwards, crashing into a group of fifth years a short distance away. As Nina got to her feet and charged at him, leaping over a hex Nott had just thrust at her, she pointed at him yet again.

"_Anteoculatia! Avifors!_" she cried, knowing immediately that the two spells shouldn't ever be mixed together. Both hit Nott in the chest and he stumbled backwards in pain and clutched his head, which was now sprouting large antlers. His feet began to morph into what looked like large talons, ripping through his shiny black shoes, and his arms and face began to become feathered. A large, pointed beak protruded from his face where his nose should have been and his screams turned into squawks. He struggled on the floor, now resembling a human-sized parrot with deer antlers growing from his head. An odd mingle of screams and laughter exploded in the entrance hall.

"_What is this?_" a horribly familiar, female voice cried, and Professor McGonagall appeared from the Great Hall, her face stricken with anger. "Thirty points from Slytherin! Duelling in the corridors, honestly—Miss Brimstone, I would have expected better from you!"

Nina couldn't bring herself to stare into McGonagall's stern face, and she was still shaking in rage from her encounter.

"Picard, Calder, take this boy to the hospital wing," she ordered two students, who were still gazing in shock at the transformed Theodore Nott. "Miss Brimstone, come with me,"

McGonagall and Nina trooped out of the now filled entrance hall, and they passed the amused faces of Fred and George, who watched her leave along with a dozen other people. Fred gave her a thumbs-up before they entered the dungeons.

In a matter of minutes both she and McGonagall were in Snape's creepy, dark office, alone. Moments later the man himself stormed into the room, looking livid and white with rage.

"Minerva, you may leave us," he said shortly.

"Of course," she said, and she left with one last reproachful look at Nina.

"Explain yourself," Snape demanded once the door had shut behind McGonagall, his black eyes staring coldly at her.

"I duelled Nott." Nina said quietly.

"Speak up, you silly girl!" he hissed.

"I duelled Nott because he insulted my friends and myself, sir," Nina said, perhaps too loudly.

"And so you resorted to landing him in the hospital wing for a week?"

"He deserved it," she said darkly.

"I would expect better from you, Brimstone. I would expect that you are above such an absurd reason to duel Mr Nott."

"It was not absurd!" she yelled.

"You will _not_ talk back to me," Snape said dangerously.

"I… yes, sir,"

"Another twenty points from Slytherin for your cheek," said Snape. "I hope you find satisfaction in the fact that you have lost fifty points from your house."

"No, sir," Nina said.

"You will not be going to the Yule Ball tonight."

"Yes, sir,"

"You will go back to your dormitory, change, and then meet me back here at ten-to six, understand me?"

"Yes, sir,"

"You will be spending the evening in detention with Filch,"

"Yes, sir,"

"Now get out of my sight." he said disgustedly.

Nina swivelled on her heel and tore out of the room and towards the Slytherin common room, still shaking. It was as though Snape was following her down the hallway, repeating himself over and over again…

_You will not be going to the Yule Ball tonight… you will be spending the evening in detention with Filch…_

She wasn't sure if she was proud of herself for defending the Weasley name or completely disgusted by her actions. She would not eat a warm meal upstairs in the glittering, beautifully decorated Great Hall. She would not laugh with her friends or get to see George in his dress robes. Instead she would be writing lines or scrubbing out cauldrons in Filch's drafty dungeon office, putting up with his jeering face for the rest of the evening while everyone else would be having the time of the lives.

As her eyes welled up with tears of shame and disappointment, she turned a bend and ran into two identical, familiar figures.

"Bloody brilliant!" Fred was telling her, grinning.

"Should've used that _Potor Puris_ spell, though… what a sight that would have been…" George continued happily.

"Oi, what's the matter?" Fred said, catching sight of her face.

"I've been banned from the Ball." she said, trying to find a way around them; she didn't want them to see her cry, especially George. "I'm in detention with Filch because I was an idiot."

"Blimey, Nina," George laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What happened in the first place?"

"He was insulting your family." she muttered. "And threatening me,"

"What's happened to your hand?" George whispered, horrified when he caught sight of it as she wiped her face.

Fred suddenly looked murderous. "I'll kill that bastard if he hurt you, Nina," he said, grabbing hold of her right wrist and examining it.

"No!" she pulled away from him and stepped around them. "Leave it alone! Just… just have fun tonight for me, won't you?"

They called back to her, but she didn't want to listen. She continued on to the common room, desperately trying to wipe away her tears. She was a fool, an idiot; why sacrifice such a wonderful privilege when she could have just left it alone and walked away? She could be chatting excitedly with her friends right now and telling them how much of a prat Nott was to her…. but instead she was crying pathetically, wishing with all her might that she could just disappear like dust in the wind, away from this place.

* * *

As the day waned, bringing forth the chilly winter evening and a million sparkling stars embedded into the night sky, all of Hogwarts seemed to vibrating with anticipation; a flurry of excitement and nerves. Nora, her gorgeous emerald dress fluttering at her heels and her hair curled around her face, had gaped in horror upon finding Nina sulking in the common room that evening clad in a sweater and pair of jeans. After explaining what had happened in the entrance hall and Snape's punishment, Nora promptly smacked her best mate over the head.

"Ow! What was that for? Can't you see I'm suffering enough without you helping out?" Nina said angrily, rubbing the sore spot.

"That's for going off and attacking people like some idiot Gryffindor." she said, her hands on her hips. "Next thing you know you'll be rescuing first-years when they fall in the toilet, which is nothing short of disgracing Slytherin's name."

"Oh, _please_," she said as she rolled her eyes. "Like you've never duelled somebody before,"

"Yes, well, not the night before the bloody Yule Ball, Nina! And I'm not the one running around and sending my dates to Madame Pomfrey!"

"How many times do I have to tell you that he deserved it?" Nina said haughtily. "He was insulting Fred and George's family!"

"And so we hex him in his sleep and plant the evidence on Pansy Parkinson, Nina, not dive into battle in the entrance hall! Goodness," She shook her head. "Now, are you going to let me sneak you into the Yule Ball while I transfigure a house elf to look like you, or are you actually going to spend the evening with Filch?"

"Everyone knows that you couldn't transfigure a pine needle into a string, Nora," Nina said sadly. "It's our worst class, remember?"

"Ah, why do you have to remind me? It just kills the mood."

Nina hugged her legs close to her chest, gazing into the crackling fire. "Go on and have a good time tonight, Nora. I'm not going to let you keep your boyfriend waiting while you try to smuggle me in or something, you hear? I want to hear all about it later tonight."

"But—"

"It wasn't a request, love," Nina stood, putting on her best, most enthusiastic smile and beaming up at her, despite her heart sinking at an alarming rate. "You're going to go and have the most magical time of your entire life, no butts."

Nora's eyes watered, but she blinked quickly to disperse them. "Okay. And don't do anything else stupid, okay?"

"I won't," She held her hand over her chest. "I'll never act like a stupid Gryffindor prat ever again, I promise."

Nora bent down and lifted her off her feet, hugging her tightly. After setting her down, she gave her one last sympathetic smile before she set off with the rest of the Slytherins towards the Great Hall. Soon, Nina was the only person left in the common room apart from a greasy-haired senior reading a book in the far off corner, and a hollow feeling dug into her, paralysing her insides. She sat by herself and watched the fire for a while numbly until the large clock above the hearth struck quarter-to-six, and Nina shuffled out of the common room and met Snape outside of his office. He floored her to the other end of the dungeons where Filch's office was situated, and Nina was greeted by a very musky, dusty sort of smell upon her arrival, as though she had entered the house of a hoarder or an old cat lady. Filch awaited her at his messy desk, Mrs Norris growling and glaring at her next to him. In the middle of the room sat a small mountain of hundreds of cauldrons and old jars that Snape used for jarring ingredients, each one of them oozing some kind of horrible liquid that caused odd vapours and smells to emit into the air.

"Good evening, Filch,"

"Evenin', Professor," said Filch, bearing his yellow teeth at the sight of Nina. "This the little runt, then?"

"I don't want her to leave this room until every pot, cauldron and glass jar is _spotless_, no exceptions." said Snape venomously. "It may be through sweat and tears that Miss Brimstone will learn to hold her tongue when push comes to shove in the hallways."

As Snape left her to head up to the feast in the Great Hall and shut the door behind him, Filch's sneer became ever so prominent.

"I could be upstairs, y'know," Filch grumbled as he pulled out a sponge from his desk drawer and dropped it into a nearby bucket of soapy water, causing suds to overflow slightly. "Could be dining with the Headmaster, now couldn't I? But instead I've got to look after little rats like you. Wand up here, missy,"

Disdainfully, Nina placed her white aspen wand on Filch's desk and dragged the suds to the mountain of grease and pewter, setting to work immediately. Maybe if she finished quickly she'd be able to make a run upstairs and catch the ending of the ball…?

"Should've made it worth my time, Dumbledore; should've let me give you a good caning, like back in the old days," Filch suddenly became transfixed at a spot on the ceiling, his eyes swimming with reminiscent tears. "How I dream of giving _some_ brats what's coming to them…"

Nina tried to choke down a grin as she continued to scrub the cauldron. Filch was no doubt referring to the Weasley twins, who had given Filch nothing short of hell since their first year at Hogwarts. Catching sight of her upturned lips, however, seemed to put Filch in an even fouler mood, and he insisted that Nina also scrub his corned feet after she was finished with the cauldrons and then give Mrs Norris a flea bath.

The night went on, but at an achingly slow pace. Elegant dance music and chattering droned on and on from the Great Hall as Nina felt herself drowning in the dirty brewing tools. Even after scrubbing until her fingers ached, some cauldrons were still not to Filch's satisfaction.

"Idiot girl! This one's still got a bit of slime on the rim, are you blind? Do it again!" he had snarled at one point, thrusting her unsatisfactory cauldron back at her.

Dull silence would have been preferred for Nina, but instead she had to endure Filch's ceaseless moaning and Mrs Norris' hissing and spitting at her, and she suddenly felt a great desire to give her a good kick in the rear.

Filch didn't remain in his office all night, however. Many a time he left, leaving Mrs Norris behind to keep watch, and returned with several sandwiches in his hand, downing them as he watched Nina continue to clean. It was when he did this that she realized that she was missing dinner and her stomach would growl forebodingly, causing Filch to laugh sickeningly.

The mountain was hardly getting any smaller, much to her horror; at this rate wouldn't finish cleaning them until late July. Her jeans were soaked in a number of smelly liquids, and her face felt very oily and wet from the sweat that was pouring down her face. She gazed longingly at her wand on the other end of the room. What she would give to use it to clean all these cauldrons with a single spell. Filch was out of the room again, probably off to skulk about the corridors… maybe she could run up and grab it, then stun Mrs Norris, then clean the cauldrons and run to the Great Hall?

She looked down at her clothes, which were quickly becoming more and more stained, and groaned. How was she supposed to go looking like a drug addict that had wandered into the castle by mistake? Her dress was ruined from her duel with Theodore, too. With an angry grunt, Nina slopped her sponge into the filthy water and started on another cauldron.

_Nothing could make this night any less miserable… what a rotten way to spend the most magical night of the year. Damn it, damn it, damn—_

"—YOU LOUSY LITTLE PUNK, THINK YOU CAN JUST DRUG OTHER PEOPLE'S FOOD BECAUSE YOU WANT TO?" boomed Filch's voice from the corridor just outside his office suddenly, his voice drawing nearer.

"Who said anything about drugging?" questioned another voice.

"WHO SAID ANYTHING—? WHY ELSE WOULD HALF THE STUDENT BODY COLLAPSE AFTER MAKING A TOAST?"

"They're Fainting Fancies, Filch! I needed people to test them on, you see, they're for these Skiving Snackboxes—I could give you a discount if you'd be so kind as to let go of my ear?"

The office door burst open and Filch appeared looking livid, none other than George Weasley at his side.

"Watch it, will you? My skin's sensitive, you know." said George, pulling away from him. His eyes rested on Nina. "Who the bloody hell is this?"

"Your cleaning mate." Filch replied nastily, striding to his desk and pulling out another sponge. While his head was down, George gave a distinct wink at Nina.

"You're telling me I have to spend the rest of my evening with some slimy snake? And a first-year at that!" George moaned.

"Shut up!" Filch snarled, throwing George's sponge at him and hitting him square in the face. "Just get cleaning! And if I _ever_ find out that that—that damned _doppelganger_ of yours had anything to do with it—"

"Have you been seeing double, Filch? Better get that checked out… my aunt Dante had something like that before her eyes turned into wine corks."

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP? And give me your ruddy wand!"

"Blimey, relax!" George cried, reluctantly pulling out his wand and slapping it onto the table next to Nina's. "Fred didn't have anything to do with it, really. He was off salsa dancing with Angelina, wasn't he? And I must say that's one thing I wish I had inherited—got the legs of a ballerina, that boy."

"Enough of your yapping! I want to see some elbow grease, boy!"

"Yes, yes," George plopped down next to Nina and rolled up the sleeves of his sweater; he wasn't in dress robes, much to her surprise. He grinned at her as he dipped his sponge into the murky brown water bucket and got to work on the rim of a cauldron. She stared at him in disbelief for a moment.

"Why?" she whispered to him, watching Mrs Norris nervously.

"Thought we'd have some fun," he replied quietly. "Better down here with someone I know than upstairs and dateless. We could always find a way out, of course."

"But our wands—"

George reached a hand into his sweater pocket and revealed the handle of a long, crooked wand. His grin became even more mischievous.

"Fred." he said.

"Brilliant." she breathed.

"Oi!" Filch snapped, looking up from the _Daily Prophet_ he was reading and glaring at them. "Do I hear talking back there?"

"Please, sir," said George innocently. "We're not _supposed_ to be talking,"

"Ah, shove it up yer…" Filch trailed off, returning to his paper.

There was no way—absolutely _no way in hell_—that Nina was going to spend her evening with George in _detention._ She could clean cauldrons another time—right now she had to find a way out of their current predicament. George had a wand, which was an advantage that she never would have expected. All she needed to do was think…

She imagined what Nora would have said to her if she were there with her.

_"For the love of Merlin's polka-dotted boxer-briefs, Nina, you're not some whimpering Hufflepuff! Come on, girl, be cunning! Resourceful! FEEL SALAZAR SLYTHERIN'S ENERGY COURSE THROUGH YOUR VEINS, WOMAN! DO YOU FEEL IT? _DO YOU?!_"_

Suddenly intimidated by her own thoughts, Nina stuck her hand into George's pocket and whipped out Fred's wand before he had time to react. Pocketing it herself just as George opened his mouth in surprise, Nina raised a hand straight up in the air.

"What?" Filch said a few moments later.

"Sir, I need to go to the washroom, please."

"Hold it!" he snapped. "Quit wasting time and get cleaning!"

Nina gulped, thinking hard. "P-please sir. You see it's a—a _girl emergency._"

Filch stared at her for a moment in shock before promptly turning bright red. "Yes… well… off you go, then… _don't dally_… young ladies need to take care of 'emselves, I suppose…"

"Thank you, sir," said Nina, jumping up and rushing out of the room. George stared curiously after her, the shadow of a smile on his face.

"Ah, bless her, Freddy… we've rubbed off on her…" he muttered to himself, turning back to his cauldron.

"_SHUT UP!_"

* * *

Her return to Filch's office was hardly noticed by him, as Nina tended to move much like a cat when entering and making her way through rooms. George, however, turned anxiously to her once she had taken her place beside him again. She shrugged.

"I don't know what you're looking so cheeky about, I just used the toilet is all," she said—whispered—simply.

"Bollocks," George mumbled, grinning.

"Be patient and you might get a surprise."

It was a good thing that George wasn't Fred, because George _could_, in fact, be patient. The minutes ticked by—six and a half minutes, to be exact—with nothing but the sound of their scrubbing and the pages of the newspaper turning when suddenly…

_WHOOMPH!_

"What the—?" Filch started, gazing up at the ceiling above their heads, which now shook with an incredible force, so much so that a couple of spiders and clouds of dust tumbled to the floor. Filch turned furiously towards George. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Nothing!" George cried, his hands raised, "Honestly, nothing this time!"

Filch's glare turned over to Nina, who gazed at him with a mingled look of innocence and surprise. He growled as he turned away from her and stalked out of the room. "If _either_ of you move…"

"No, sir," Nina said. "We won't. But you had better check that out, if you ask me."

As Filch opened his mouth to snap at her the ceiling shook yet again, the same _WHOOMPH _sound echoing down to their floor. He hurried out, throwing out curses as he went, Mrs Norris trailing behind him.

"What did you do?" George asked Nina, seizing their wands and handing her the aspen one.

Nina grinned. "Well, it's something I invented a while ago… just a bit of experimentation and inventing we had to do for Charms class. It's enough to keep him busy for a couple of hours, don't worry. It's a timed bomb."

"A bomb?" he said, surprised.

"That's right— _Scourgify!_" The mountain of filthy cauldrons was suddenly glistening in their newfound cleanliness as the dirt and grime encasing them disappeared. "I planted the spell on each one of the toilets, but they don't go all off at once. There's a succession of them, you see. Six stalls and two have already gone off…" she pondered, checking the clock on the wall. "And if that clock's right, the next one should go off right about…"

_WHOOMPH!_

George looked mildly impressed. "Well thought out, I must say. You're going to have to tell me the incantation you used in order to receive full marks for your work, of course."

"Certainly," she said. "But we can do all that later. Let's just get—"

_WHOOMPH!_

Filch's anguished scream sounded from upstairs.

"I hear you," George agreed as they trooped out of his office together, making a break down the hallway.

"Do you think pudding's finished yet?" Nina asked worriedly.

"I'm not eating any leftovers, not after those vultures upstairs have been snacking at the dessert table all evening," he said disgustedly, stopping her in front of a life-sized portrait of a bearded black man. "No, we're getting the good stuff. Wait here a minute," He turned to him. "_Scurvy dog!_"

"And you!" the portrait said disdainfully, opening and allowing George through. Seconds later he reappeared, two rather large bowls full of cookies, ice cream, vanilla pudding, cherry pie, whipped cream and brownies in hand. He handed one to her and they proceeded to the Great Hall together, happily munching on their kitchens loot.

As both of them were practically starving from not eating since that afternoon, their bowls were nearly empty by the time they reached the Great Hall, which was full of slow dancing couples. A couple of pretty looking girls threw looks of disgust and awe at the newly arrived couple, and Nina knew what they must have been thinking. Both she and George were, of course, smothering in a gross combination of dirt, soap, dust and various potions leftovers. Still, the music played on, and the romantic atmosphere seemed to be infectious. Across the dance floor Nina saw Nora being twirled, and it was to her great surprise that the man she was dancing with was much shorter and much darker than Kevin Peach; unbelievable, she was dancing with _Blaise. _They looked almost comical together, him being shorter than her and all, but neither of them to appeared to be caring.

"I suppose I should be asking you to dance with me or something?" said George, and she was mildly shocked to hear a tint of embarrassment and awkwardness in his voice. She looked up into his freckled face, which was smudged with dirt, and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"What?" he asked, surprised.

"You—heehaha—look h-homeless!" she giggled, pointing at his face.

"Oh, you're hopeless," he said, though he also looked extremely amused. "You know, I'm actually not much into dancing."

"Yeah," Nina said, nodding and wiping away a tear. "Yeah, me neither."

"Courtyard?"

"Courtyard."

They piled their bowls on top of each other and handed them to a random student on their way out, causing him to shoot them a very dirty look at them as they left. They entered the snow-laden, deserted courtyard together and took a bench to themselves that overlooked the frozen lake. The winter chill bit at Nina's bare hands and exposed neck and it was only a matter of time before the peaceful and serene silence between them became uncomfortable.

"Bloody hell, it's colder than a witch's tit." said George, who was apparently thinking along the same lines as her. As he caught sight of her raised eyebrows, he shrugged. "What? It's just an expression. _Accio scarves!"_

There was a moment of silence in which Nina took the time to shake her head before a sharp zipping sound from behind them signalled the arrival of a long, thick-looking Gryffindor scarf. _One_ scarf.

"I said _scarves,_ damn it… no wonder I only got an _Acceptable_ on my Charms OWL." George grumbled.

"You keep it." Nina insisted.

"Don't be stupid," he said, scooting closer to her and wrapping it around both of their necks. "Hope you don't mind, I smell like Blemish Blitzer."

"Oh, no," Nina said hoarsely as her face pressed into the side of his neck. "No, it's fine, I do too…"

"You actually smell pretty good," George said. Then, very quickly, "Well, I mean, maybe you were scrubbing out a cauldron for a love potion or something… you don't smell _that_ great… not that you smell _bad_…"

"George?"

"Yeah?"

"Hush up."

"My pleasure,"

More silence. Then,

"Git." said George.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

George gently took hold of her right wrist, tracing his thumb over the large, purple bruise Nott had left earlier that day. "Git," he repeated.

"Precisely," she said brightly. "And a git he shall remain. I mean, he'll be a git long after this has faded away, and I feel a bit bad for him, to be honest."

"Well, I'm glad someone does, because he's not earning any sympathy from me." George said darkly. "Shall we douse him in a Troll-Boogie-Bomb? Or would sprinkling Puking Pastilles in all his meals be more suited to your taste?"

"Maybe you could combine them both somehow?" she suggested as she rested her head on his shoulder, cuddling up to the warmth of his neck. His scent intoxicated her.

"Brilliant. We'll look into that for you, no charge." George said excitedly.

A fresh snow had started to fall, and a faraway beat carried out to their spot in the courtyard.

"_Oh my goodness!_" Nina cried suddenly, shooting her head upwards from George's shoulder and banging into his chin. "Ouch! Sorry!"

"Argh, what? What's happened?" he groaned, rubbing his jaw.

"It's Christmas!" she cried. "George, I haven't gotten you anything!"

"Well, isn't that perfect?" he said. "Because I forgot to get something for you, too,"

She shook her head desperately. "But—no, this just won't do! I mean… it's just not _right_…"

George turned and looked at her, squinting slightly. She blinked, but his gaze didn't waver.

"You've got an eyelash on your cheek." he said.

"Oh," her hand shot up to her face. "Where?"

"Just here," George pointed to his right cheek for her.

"Here?"

"No, _here_,"

"Is it gone?"

"Wait," His fingers rose up to her face and tugged at the tiny hair that rested just below her right eye. Grinning, she plucked it from his fingers and then held it out to him again.

"Yes?" he asked, bewildered.

"It's a wish," she said cheerfully.

"What's this Muggle rubbish?"

"Your Christmas present!" she said haughtily. "If you make a wish on an eyelash and then blow it off someone else's finger tip, it'll come true."

"I'll just roll with it then," he said, amused. He stared at it for a moment, considering it, and then blew it away into the cold, dark night.

"What did you wish for?" she asked eagerly.

"If I tell you, it won't come true." he said mysteriously. "Ah, now I feel bad. I still haven't gotten you anything, even if it's just an eyelash."

"Oh, it's fine," she said, turning back to the view as he wrapped the scarf around them once more. What did bad voices and hallucinations matter when she had the opportunity to be so close—close enough to feel his heartbeat; feel the steady rhythm of his breathing—to George? She was so content, so blistering with happiness that she felt like nothing could ever break her down. She could take on the world right now if she wanted to and continue on through life elated like this, because nothing could possibly knock her down nor make her soar any higher.

That's what she thought, anyway, until she felt a wet pair of lips plant a kiss on her cheek.

"If you ever tell Fred about that, I'll lock you in a broom cupboard with Snape and Filch and not let you out until your graduation." George said quietly.

"Y-yeah," she said softly, placing her head back onto his shoulder, unable to stop smiling. "Happy Christmas to you too, George,"

* * *

**And so now I've got this cheeky grin that I can't wipe off my face. Yes, my pretties, FEEL THEM FEELS! I COMAND YOU TO FEEL THEM FEELS! BUAAAHAHAHA!**

**Reviews are just AMAZING, I'd love to see a fair few in the future. Thank you all so much for your support! You make me feel so loved Q_Q**

**And sorry, but the Suddenly Surprise ain't for a while still… hopefully it'll be ready by the end of this week, but there's no guarantees. I KNOW, LISE, I CAN'T WAIT EITHER. IT'S KILLING ME.**

**Ciao, all!**


	17. The Green Inked Letter

**Please keep in mind that I have changed the date of the Third Task from the 28****th**** of June to the 28****th**** of May for plot reasons, therefore Voldemort returns and Cedric dies a month earlier than in canon.**

**It is with the utmost happiness that I announce that the Suddenly Surprise is finally ready! Well… part 1/3 is ready, anyway. I guess I had better explain what it actually is. Gather round, children. You see, there is a very magical place on the interwebs called Deviantart where some very talent artists dwell. I very kindly asked three different artists, all of whom are very talented in their own way, to do draw up some of my characters in exchange for part of my paycheque. So, I used my hard-earned dollars (which were gained mainly from mucking horse stalls and packaging thousands of cookies by hand for a festival downtown and doing all other kinds of grunt work) to pay for three different pieces of art, one of which has now been finished! There's no telling when the other two will be ready, though. Best not to rush the artists though, so please don't pester them :)**

**So ****_please_**** check out the link I posted on my profile. Furihime did an amazing job drawing Nina and George and I am so elated that she let me commission her; I didn't waste a penny on her. Don't forget to tell her how amazing she is if you have a deviant account! Keep in mind that you are in no way authorized to use it without my or Furihime's permission. It is her artwork and my money, kindly pay some respect to that.**

* * *

Winter melted away all too quickly that year and everyone pressed on, though part of Nina's mind was all but situated on the alarming workloads that were causing much of the student body to fall into panic. Nora had long since broken up with Kevin Peach by the time May rolled around; such was the natural order of things in secondary school. Blaise, while he hadn't made his move yet, seemed very pleased by this and thereby made it his job to trash talk Peach whenever he got the chance.

"Bit weird looking, isn't he? His neck's quite long, I find, and his eyes are way too far apart; he looks like a fish." he drawled one morning during breakfast.

"What're you moaning about?" Nora had hissed at him. "He's a nice guy, it just didn't work out between us."

Nina sighed as they continued to bicker and gazed over to the Gryffindor table, her eyes grazing over the students as she searched for one in particular. She found him along with his brother, laughing at some joke she couldn't hear and dodging a piece of crust that Lee had just thrown at him teasingly. That long forgotten night in the courtyard still burned fresh in her mind as she stared at him, recounting his scent and warmth, her heart flooding with longing to relive those moments.

A lot had happened in the last four months. Aside from the whole Triwizard Tournament coming to an end in less than two weeks, Nina often found herself preoccupied with spending as much time away from Nora as possible, as she would often attempt to set her up on dates with George.

"But I don't _want_ to, Nora," she had tried to reason with her on her third attempt, which was comprised mainly of luring George into an empty classroom on the fourth floor where Nora had set up a small table covered in linen cloth and hired a third year to play the violin for them. "Now just ask him to leave so we can get back to the Great Hall, won't you?"

"Perhaps you might not have realized, Nina, but you've only got one full year left with the twins before they graduate. The sooner you two get together, the better." Nora said haughtily.

"Erm—should I start playing now?" the third year asked tentatively.

"Exactly!" Nina cried, ignoring him. "Nora, no seventeen-year-old is going to want to get romantic with someone two years younger than them."

Needless to say, that day's date was a failure. Not only had Lee taken George into the wrong classroom, but Nina had stormed off before Nora had the chance to put a successful Body-Bind Curse on her. On the bright side, Nora hadn't cooked up anything else that was, in her mind, _romantic_ since then. But of course, there were always weeds popping up and intruding on her life.

"Filthy little bird," Nora muttered darkly, turning away from her plate and glaring at the Hufflepuff table. Nina sighed; Cecilia still hadn't given up on George, though now she had a new objective: to make Nina's life as embarrassing and to humiliate her as much as possible. It had all started with a couple of small pranks; bewitching her Monster Book of Monsters to fly and try to rip off her skirt, enchanting small clouds to appear over her head and rain on her all day, that sort of stuff. But then the pranks stopped being so harmless and moved onto being a lot more consequential. She had thrown her schoolbooks and homework into mud puddles, thereby causing Nina to fail her Charms essay and rewrite it after hours once explaining the matter to Professor Flitwick. Some teachers, like Binns, McGonagall and Snape, weren't so forgiving, and her grade was simply shoved downward for not completing the tasks assigned to her.

But it got worse.

She didn't know how, but at one point Cecilia had managed to sneak into the Hogwarts laundry room and smear an old fish all over clean clothes which she was to wear the next day, thereby sparking a numerous amount of dirty—and humiliating—jokes among the students. There wasn't a doubt in Nina's mind that Fred and George's brilliance in coming up with pranks rubbed off on her, but Cecilia had managed to turn them into something devoid of humour and cruel. It was as though she had stomped all over the unwritten Pranking Code of Ethics, and that's what angered her the most. And yet Nina had no desire to prank her back; nothing disgusted her more than sinking down to Cecilia's level. Nora, however, was anything but keen to let it all slide.

"Just let it go, Nora," Nina tried to persuade her.

"_'Let it go'_? How am I supposed to just let it go?! She's only doing this because she thinks she can get away with it!" Nora snapped, tossing her fork aside and nearly knocking over the juice container and she banged her fists against the table. "I just want to give her a taste of her own medicine! I've been thinking that maybe we could—"

"We're not doing anything to her, Nora." Nina said sternly. "I'm not playing her childish games."

"I think Brittleton's got a point there, Boone," Blaise piped up suddenly. "It's hardly tactful to return the same kind of arsenal. True humiliation takes more than just a silly prank, it needs to hit a person deep. I suggest poisoning her owl for starters."

Before Nora could reply enthusiastically to this, however, a swooping black figure plummeted from the ceiling and landed gracefully atop the milk jug, fluffing its wings.

"Charles!" Nora cried happily, stroking the large raven.

"You—er—know this thing?" Blaise said.

"He belongs to my mum—she never liked owls for some reason," Nora said absentmindedly, tearing the letter from the bird's foot and tossing a bit of egg into its mouth. "Oooooh, it's from my parents!"

"What did they say?" Nina asked as Nora ripped open the envelope and feasted her eyes upon the message inside. Her eyes grew brighter with every word she took in. "I don't believe it! We're going to Hawaii this summer!"

Blaise, now looking rather uninterested, turned back to his breakfast. "Been there, done that."

Nina, however, looked at Nora excitedly. "Wow! That's really great, Nora!"

"Apparently they were planning it all year and decided to surprise Jasmine and me." Nora said quickly, re-reading the letter excitedly. "We're spending six weeks there! You know, the Polynesians know a lot of ancient magic, stuff like Voodoo. Most of the wizards and witches live on the smaller islands—the ones Muggles don't visit because it's deemed 'private property' by the government."

Even with Nora's infectious jubilance, Nina's heart was slowly sinking into the pit of her stomach. With Nora gone to the other side of the world for the summer, Nina would have to spend her vacation alone in her mother's house in Ottery St. Catchpole, undoubtedly spending her days going on long walks and compulsively cleaning the house. She shivered. She hadn't entered that old cottage, which was most certainly rotting away and collecting dust in her absence, for what felt like forever, and she despised the very thought of returning to that lonely abode. Nora seemed to catch onto her thoughts, because suddenly she was frowning and looking rather disgruntled. She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

"Make sure to bring me back a souvenir." Nina forced herself to beam at her. "I've always wanted one of those wobbling hula girls that Muggles put in their cars."

Nora didn't seem to see the longing in Nina's eyes, for she smiled back at her as she shoved the letter in her pocket.

* * *

When it happened, nobody wanted to believe it. What Harry Potter had revealed to the world upon returning to Hogwarts with Cedric Diggory's body simply couldn't be true. He Who Must Not Be Named disappeared, what had happened in Godric's Hollow thirteen years ago was proof of that. So why… why did Harry say he was back?

Just a few days ago Nina's concerns were no greater than the upcoming exams and what kind of prank Cecilia might pull next. But now Lord Voldemort had risen again, and surely the entire Wizarding World would be at his mercy just as it was fourteen years previous.

"I don't know if I believe him, to be completely honest." Nora said quietly to her one night in the common room. "Isn't it a whole lot more likely that Diggory died in an accident and Potter hallucinated the whole thing? Or maybe…" She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Maybe he's making it all up."

"But Dumbledore says You-Know-Who really is back," Nina said. "I mean… shouldn't be believe him? He's one of the greatest wizards of all time, after all."

"Dumbledore's, like, one hundred-fifty! My great aunt started going a bit mad when she went past the three digit mark, too. And she was a really great witch, according to my mum!"

"Well, sure, but what about Potter? He looked pretty dazed when he came back to us, you saw him! And what reason would he have to lie?"

"Oh, you know him," Nora waved her hand and looked into the fire disgustedly. "_Saint_ Potter, always having to save the day… bet he just needed a bit more attention. He's Dumbledore's Golden Boy, everyone knows Dumbledore'll believe anything he says."

"But Diggory _died_, Nora," Nina said. "People don't just drop dead like that unscathed! What if… what if he really got hit by the _Avada Kedavra?_"

"I don't believe it." Nora said finally. "Mark my words; it's all a scam. And I'm not going to be the only one who doesn't believe him. Oh, and it's Sunday, so take your potion tonight."

Nora left her then, leaving Nina to her whirling thoughts. You-Know-Who couldn't function without his followers to do his dirty work for him… such was always the case with great dictators like Hitler and Stalin. Children of Death Eaters were crawling within the bowels of the castle, most of them being situated in Slytherin, though she knew there were a few in Ravenclaw and even Hufflepuff house too. She scanned the common room and found Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Theodore Nott muttering to each other in a huddle on the other side of the common room, shooting glances around them every so often. Judging by the way they were acting, it was likely that _something_ was going on… but did their hushed whispers really mean that the Dark Lord was back? In the flesh?

Hogwarts was dreary and dark. The usual loud babble that was supposed to fill the Great Hall was filled with low mutters and the sounds of mourning. The Weasley twins had stopped pranking, the suits of armour had stopped creaking, and even Peeves had been snuffed out for a while. But Nina would rather have been pelted with rotten eggs rather than suffer the silence any longer.

The Great Hall was as quiet as ever two weeks following the Third Task as the morning owls made their rounds, dropping newspapers and letters into their recipients' cereal bowls as usual. It was to Nina's great surprise, however, when her very own owl fluttered into her lap, picking a piece of bacon off of her plate.

Nora blinked. "Is that Sally?"

"It is," Nina whispered, stroking his back and examining the letter tied to his leg. "Someone must have called for him to deliver me a letter…"

"But who's going to write you during the school year?" Nora questioned. "It's not like it's your…"

They both stopped, staring at each other with wide eyes. It couldn't be… her mother? Hurriedly unfastening her letter and shooing Salvador Rodriquez away, Nina examined the front of the envelope and felt her stomach clench.

"It's… not from her. It…" she said, her heart picking up pace rather dramatically.

"Spit it out!" Nora cried.

"Wait." Nina left her plate and motioned for Nora to follow as she made for the entrance hall, her friend treading on her heels as they left their fellow classmates behind. The two slipped into an alcove—the same one where Nina had duelled Theodore Nott four months previous—and gawked at the envelope together.

"Nora… it's from the Ministry of Magic."

"What?!" she gasped. "D'you think Nott's filed a lawsuit against you or something?"

"_Four months_ after we duelled? I don't know…"

"Well, what're you waiting for? Open it already!"

With slightly trembling fingers, Nina pulled delicately pulled out the green-inked letter within and placed it in front of her. She stared at the words, but they became jumbled in front of her eyes. She was so nervous—why would the Ministry be contacting her? Was she in deep trouble? Had she done something so out of line? What if she was being expelled for whatever reason and wizards were on their way right now to destroy her wand? Would Dumbledore be kind enough to let her stay in Hogwarts, perhaps as the Gameskeeper's assistant?

"Oh, give it here!" Nora cried, snatching the letter out of her hands. "Just calm down, there's no need to have a panic attack over what's probably nothing."

"_You're_ the one saying it might be a lawsuit!"

"Well… you never know!"

"Oh, you're a great help!"

"Ah, glad to see you two cozying up with each other," said a voice above them, and they looked upward only to find the Weasley twins, leaning against the railing of one of the flights of stairs heading upwards. The two of them straddled the banister and slid down to their level, landing gracefully at their feet.

"Bug off, we've got important business," Nora said irritably.

"Important business, eh?" Fred said, grabbing the letter from Nora's hand and examining it. "Ooooh, Nina. Looks like you're in for expulsion."

"It was nice knowing you, though. We'll catch up later sometime when you get off your twelve-hour shift of flipping burgers at McDonalds."

"Oh, yes, you two are a total riot." said Nora humourlessly, taking back the letter. "The poor girl's a stuttering mess already. Now shut up a minute while I read this."

George turned to Nina quizzically. "She's reading your letter before you?"

She shrugged. "Best not to argue with her, I find."

"Well, it can't be that bad, it's not like you've done anything wrong in the past year." he said cheerfully. Suddenly, his face fell. "Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Unless it's not about you." he said quietly, realization suddenly dawning on his face. He exchanged looks with his brother just as Nora clapped a hand over her mouth and held the letter away from herself, as though its contents were making her eyes burn.

"What?" Nina gasped, grappling for her with the letter. "Nora, give it!"

But Nora didn't seem to want to surrender her letter, for she was holding it high above her head so Nina couldn't reach it. She felt extremely silly as she jumped up and down, trying to grab the letter but failing each time. Just as she was pulling her wand out of her pocket to try and summon it, Fred snatched it from her.

"George—Fred—look, don't give her that." Nora said desperately.

"It's my letter!" She was bursting with curiosity.

"Yeah, it is." said Fred, handing it to her. It was now crumpled and slightly torn, but the green ink shined brighter than ever in the torchlight. Now sure that no one was going to interfere with her reading it, she turned back to it.

_Dear Ms Brimstone,_

_ We regret to inform you that at approximately 1:46 in the morning on Tuesday, June 7__th__, your maternal parent was found dead in her SoHo apartment after nearby Muggle residents called the Muggle authorities. Upon further investigation by the American Bureau of Sorcery, the New York Executive Branch, it was discovered that Arietta Jillian Brimstone was likely the victim of the Cruciatus and Killing Curse by one or more unknown assailants—_

She was swallowed by a gaping black hole of uncertainty as she lifted her eyes from the letter, unable to read any more. What she had just read couldn't be true… it had to be a lie, or some kind of sick prank. She looked at the twins, half expecting them to burst out laughing and start ruffling her hair. They didn't.

"What does it say?" Fred asked tentatively.

"My mother's dead." said replied blankly.

Looks of horror spread across the twins' faces, unsightly grimaces settling into their flesh. Nora's eyes were larger than ever and watering.

"It was wizards." Nina went on, still devoid of any kind of emotion. "She was murdered."

"Murdered?" Fred muttered. "But who'd want to murder your mom?"

"I… I don't know." It was the truth. Her mother worked for the New York Executive Branch of the American Bureau of Sorcery, also known as the New York Underground. It was, in essentials, the American equivalent of the Ministry of Magic. She hadn't been involved in any low-brow, shady business as far as she knew. Could it have been a burglary? Or was it something more?

"Come on, come with me, Brimstone."

She had delved so deeply into her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed that Professor McGonagall had arrived on the scene and was trying to lead her away from her friends.

"What? What's happening?" she asked, snapping out of her daze.

"You're to come with me," she said briskly, still leading her away from Nora and the twins.

"I can't—I have class." she said lamely.

"You've been excused for today. Dumbledore wishes to speak with you,"

"He got the news." It wasn't a question. Her eyes remained dry.

"I'm afraid he has."

They continued onward to the third floor where the Headmaster's office was situated. After telling the stone gargoyle that guarded the spiralling staircase the password (Lemon Yolk), McGonagall stood aside and watched as Nina ascended the stairs slowly.

Dumbledore was awaiting her just as she had imagined it; he was already seated behind his large oak desk, his fingers knit together and his piercing blue eyes staring at her as she entered.

"Please have a seat, Nina,"

She did what she was told and they looked at each other for a while, each waiting for the other to say something.

"You have received the letter," Dumbledore said, his eyes flickering towards her hand that clutched the crumpled message.

"Yes."

"I take it that you know that your mother was not only killed, but murdered?"

"Yes, sir,"

"You also know that Lord Voldemort has risen to power yet again."

She didn't even flinch as he said his name—she felt nothing. "I…"

They stared at each other for another long while.

"Is he really back, Professor? Potter's not lying and you're not… well…"

"I can assure you that Harry is not lying or making it up." Dumbledore said firmly, and Nina thought she felt some coldness in his voice. "And I'm not so obscenely old that I can no longer function properly, I assure you."

"Then I believe you." she said quietly. "But how does You-Know-Who coming back connect to my mother's death?"

"Do not fear the name, Nina," said Dumbledore. "Fear is how Lord Voldemort manipulates people. I know that you are above his attempts of controlling our world."

She hadn't really thought about that. Saying the Dark Lord's name was forbidden in society. It was almost disrespectful to mention it—to mention _him,_ simply because by doing so was deemed stupid and needless. It brought fear out in other people and would sometime even bring about panic. She had always been taught to stray away from using the name, no matter what.

"While it is mentioned nowhere in either of our letters," Dumbledore gestured to his very own Ministry letter, which lay in front of him. "It is my belief that she was killed by Voldemort's followers."

"Death Eaters?" she gasped. "But what would Death Eaters want with her? Why would they want her…?"

"Arietta Brimstone was always very… _interested_ in the Dark Arts. She was, as she so proudly liked to mention, a born Ravenclaw. Many of the Brimstone women were. She was very involved in clubs and activities and was top of her class—which is saying something as she was not the only Ravenclaw. She became a Prefect and would have become Head Girl if not for her sudden… change of heart."

"What happened, sir?"

"She had met a boy who she started to gain an increasing liking for. He, too, shared her interest in the Dark Arts, but he had plans to take the plans into action once he graduated. This boy's name was Colby Jugson; he never managed to be convicted and sent to Azkaban, so instead he has been laying low for the past thirteen years."

"Death Eaters." she breathed. She shook her head. "Professor, that can't be right. I've seen my mother wear sleeveless clothes before. She doesn't have the… the…"

"Lord Voldemort only brands his most loyal followers with the Dark Mark. It's likely that she didn't even partake in Voldemort's wickedness willingly. She was only lured in by her current suitor. She tried to escape, but Jugson became angry. She disappeared for a while, not surfacing for a couple of years. When she resurfaced again, just over a year before Lord Voldemort was temporarily vanquished, she was pregnant."

There was more silence.

"But… I don't understand. Who is my… my…?"

"I can not be certain who your father is," Dumbledore said quietly. "But I do know that Colby Jugson was not a happy man when he did not get his way. She had left him, and he was furious about that. I think that it is very likely, Nina, that he found her at some point and took out all of his rage and frustrations on her."

Nina blinked in disbelief as a horrible feeling sunk deep into her like a pair of jaws. Jugson took out his frustrations on her? She resurfaced pregnant? That could only mean…

"I was a parasite." she whispered, tears finally springing to her eyes. "She kept me out of guilt… but I was just a horrible leech inside of her, something that sick man dumped on her…"

"You are so much more than what your father is." Dumbledore said, his voice gentler than ever. "The fact that you are kind and know what love means is proof enough of that."

She shook her head, blinking away her tears. She would not cry… she couldn't be weak now, not when she was only halfway hearing the truth. "How does this all…?"

"When Voldemort rose to power again, his loyal followers didn't need to harbour any more fear for the Ministry. It is my belief that Jugson decided to strike once and for all and take away what could never be his. He probably would have struck sooner… if he had nothing to fear, that is. Perhaps he thought he'd have some fun before he finally got down to business with Voldemort." Dumbledore sounded not only grim, but dark.

"How can you be so sure, Professor?" Nina muttered. "What if her death is completely unrelated to You-Know-Who's coming back?"

"Other suggestions, such as her death being an accident or burglary gone wrong, seem much more convenient. But I do see your point; not everything in my story seems to fit. Her death may very well remain a mystery for now, but it is still likely…"

"Even if she wasn't killed by Death Eaters, she was still tormented by them." Nina interjected suddenly, glowering into Dumbledore's eyes. He looked surprised for a moment, then returned to his normal composure. "This Jugson… he made her suffer. He made her bring a child into the world that she didn't want. He _violated her. _Even if that child is me, I won't forgive him." All of her hate towards her mother seemed so unjustified now, and she hated herself now more than ever for being so cold to her. She had brought her into the world unwillingly… that alone should have made Nina grateful, but instead she was selfish and nasty towards her.

"I want to help stop You-Kn—I mean… Lord V-Voldemort." she said, unblinkingly staring into Dumbledore's eyes. "I want to make him—and his followers—feel the pain that they've caused my mother and I. Please, Professor... please let me help destroy him."

He was staring at her with a very curious expression on his face now, somewhere between a look of disapproval and a grin.

"I trust you, Nina."

She said nothing, but rather looked at him with the determination that sparked suddenly inside of her. She would not let them win… no matter the cost.

He dismissed her and gave her the day off, though by the time she left his office it was already lunch time, but Nina had never felt less hungry. She instead made her way to the sunny grounds, intent on visiting Hagrid's last remaining blast-ended skrewts. As she came into the courtyard, however, she was ambushed by two redheaded men who immediately pelted her with questions.

"You were with Dumbledore?"

"Nina, what's happened?"

"Are you all right?"

"Is she really…?"

"Where's Nora?" she interrupted, suddenly fancying a walk with her around the lake. The twins looked startled at her calm and nonchalant tone, but answered her nonetheless.

"She went to check your common room. We've all agreed we'd skip our next classes to find you." said George.

"Don't be thick, you guys. There's no reason to skive because of me."

"Are… are you...?" Fred began carefully, as though expecting her to explode in anger any moment now.

She suddenly became conscious of the letter that was still in her clenched fist and shoved it into her cloak pocket. "I'm okay. But my mom's not—she's really dead. Crazy, huh?"

Fred tried to exchange a disbelieving look with George, but he was too busy looking over Nina repeatedly. "Yes," he agreed. "Mad, really."

"I suppose everything's going to go to hell with You-Know—Voldemort back." She gasped suddenly, a new thought popping up in her mind. Would there be enough gold in Gringotts to keep herself stable? Who would be her new legal guardian? Would she have to stay at the cottage in Ottery St. Catchpole all summer knowing that she would be completely alone int he world? She knew she wouldn't be able to stand it. "This summer… I'm going to have to go into the Ministry and figure out where I'm going to go. I don't know if they can let me stay at home without at least having any financial support."

"Don't be stupid." said Fred, sounding almost angry.

"Really," George shook his head. "And I thought you were intelligent—you're staying with us this summer."

"Duh." said Fred.

"I—" Just by looking at them, she knew any argument would have been useless. The ol' Weasley zeal really wasn't something to try and tempt.

* * *

**I've gotta he honest: I sort of really dislike this chapter. Too much narrative, not enough dialogue… blegh. The next chapter's going to be meeting the OoTP and Sirius Black in Grimmauld Place… if you at all remember Nina's greatest fear, you know that'll be interesting.**

**I consider myself to be a very different person from Nina—it's no fun to write yourself, after all—though I did take one specific trait of mine and fuse it into her: the ability to cope extremely well with death. Nina's lack of tears when she found out that her mother had died is not only the result of shock, but a talent she didn't know she had. I just thought I'd say this for anyone that thought this was really odd; even when people/animals that are close to me die, I can always accept it and move on without feeling too much pain. I can also talk about bad things that have happened to me in a really calm, even joking manner, and Nina inherited this.**

**Aaaaaand I'll shut up now. Reviews are helpful and always welcome, thanks for helping me reach seventy, you guys! :) I seriously love you all!**


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